Emilia Lupin First Year
by MythicalEntity
Summary: Emilia Jade Lupin was an interesting girl. spunky, music loving, outgoing, but that's probably because she's the daughter of a marauder. join Emilia in her first year where she goes from a quiet home living with just her father to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. Oh and did I mention she was a werewolf?
1. Chapter 1: Water Jets

**DISCLAIMER: all rights go to jk rowling. I don't own Harry Potter.**

 **This is my first fanfic I've wrote so please bear with me. This fic will have newer songs and tech that wasn't around during harry's teenage years. And also this chapter was redone because I wasn't that happy with it. Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 1: Water Jets

Emilia Lupin sat behind the couch in her living room. The old tan couch made a good hiding spot for the young girl. Emilia had a plan. She had snuck off to a joke shop a few months ago in diagon alley. While her father was at flourish and blotts she had purchased water jets. For a month and 14 days (of course she was counting) she had hid those powerful water jets under her bed. Today was the day she would finally let them off inside the main level of her house.

Why? First, why not? And second, because her muggle Ipod was taken away exactly 5 days and 3 hours ago. It was taken away by Remus because she pulled a prank a lot like this one. But there wasn't much to lose now! And this prank was for good reason! When the water jets are released she would have time to run upstairs. Moony would run downstairs to see what the commotion was, and while he was distracted, Emilia could run upstairs and into his room. She would have just enough time to grab the Ipod from his desk drawer and run. Chances of getting away without getting caught? Slim. maybe she could make up something about an owl flying through and setting something off?

She gripped the water jet tightly. This seemed like a good a time as any to out her plan into action. The counted down in her head '3...2...1.. Blast off!' the water jetted out like a rocket! Water instantly soaked everything in sight. Puddles were already forming on the floor! The force of the water was incredible too!

Her knuckles were white with the strength she was holding on with. Emilia felt her hands slowly start to slip. Her hands slipped farther and farther down. Emilia tried to re adjust the jet but as soon a one hand let go the jet took off! It went flying around the room, crashing and breaking everything in it's path.

Emilia was frozen in shock. She watched helplessly as the object smashed and soaked everything in the room. Then she heard footsteps. Heavy footsteps ran down the stairs and into the living room. Remus was downstairs and distracted, that meant it was go time. As she bolted up the stairs she head Moony's muffled gasp. Emilia sprinted down the hall and down to the very last door. She flung it open with such a force that the whole door frame shook. The young girl flew over to the desk and flung the drawer open. Maybe she opened it a little too hard… she cringed at the loud crash of the drawer colliding into the ground, it's contents spilling every which way. She grabbed the Ipod out of the rubble, stumbled backwards, spun around to face the door, and started running out of the room.

That's when she ran into something. Something that smelled of chocolate and lavender. Something that felt softish and firmish at the same time. Thankfully the softish, firmish, chocolate and lavender smelling thing caught her upper arm.

As Emilia regained her balance she heard the distinct lack of the sound of rushing water. It was eerily quiet. She looked up as she realized that the thing holding her arm was in fact a person. Her grey blue eyes bet the furious brown eyes of Remus lupin. Suddenly the weight of what she'd done came crashing down on her. What had she been thinking? She only thought of adventure and her Ipod, nothing else. Now she was caught. Now what? Maybe she could explain?

"Um… did you hear something downstairs?" she mumbled. It would normally be hard to hear, but because Remus was a werewolf she knew that with his good hearing he could hear what she said. "It sounded like water… it stopped now... but I could have sworn-" she stopped as she saw the thunderous look she was receiving.

"Right. Let's go downstairs shall we?" Moony said in a deceptively calm voice. Oh she was so dead… it couldn't be that bad though. Maybe she'd be grounded for a little. Or have her precious Ipod taken away for longer. But she could deal with whatever he threw her way. hopefully...


	2. Chapter 2: Saved by the Owl

**Disclaimer: i don't own harry potter**

Chapter 2: Saved by the owl

"Let's take this downstairs shall we?" the request seemed polite but Emilia could tell it was more a command than a question.

The young girl sighed but still followed the older man down the stairs and into the living room. As she stood in the living room she took in her surroundings. She lived in this old house her whole life, and apparently moony lived in this house during his childhood too. Yes this house was certainly old. When you came in through the front door you would walk straight into the living area in the main level. Connected to the living room was an old kitchen that seemed stuffed in a back corner. The faded cupboards and cracked kitchen tiles indicated the many years of use. At the back of the kitchen was a dusty sliding glass door. That lead to the backyard, if you could really call it that. There was no fence in the backyard just grass that lead up to a lake. To the side of the lake was a small forest that was perfect for transformations once a month.

"Take a seat." the stern voice of remus brought her back and out of her thoughts.

The young girl took a seat, still holding her Ipod in one hand. She gulped nervously and looked down suddenly finding her feet very interesting.

"Look at ME Emilia." once his daughter followed the simple command he started "what were you thinking? You destroyed our main level with a water jet i didn't even know you had. You broke several things with that joke product! And all for what? A muggle device that you were going to get back in a few days anyway?"

Emilia swallowed hard. "The damage was nothing some magic couldn't have fixed"

"And for that you're lucky. But for this i'm keeping your Ipod for another week."

Emilia was about to protest when they heard a hard tapping on the window in the kitchen. She craned her neck to look over at the kitchen window and smiled at what she saw. A large brown and grey feathered barn owl sat on the window ledge outside, and was tapping to get in. before Mooney could say anything about her staying there she jumped up and sped toward the window.

The owl chirped loudly and flew in. it then presented the girl with the letter in its beak. After Emilia grabbed the envelope it took off once more.

The young girl smiled at the owl and looked down and studied the envelope for the first time. It was addressed to her. That was interesting, she new very few people.

 _Ms. E. Lupin_

 _623 lakeside way_

 _Edge of lake near Porthcawl_

She stared in shock. This… this was her hogwarts letter? She flipped the envelope and sure enough there was a wax seal with the hogwarts crest on it. "Moony? I think this is my hogwarts letter…" her excitement grew and grew just thinking about it. She was going to hogwarts! Of course they new she was but this letter made it seem so much more real!

Apparently Moony was shocked too. "Merlin, Congratulations cub"

Emilia opened the letter and began to read:

 _HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

 _Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

 _(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,_

 _Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

 _Dear ms. Lupin,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_ _._ _Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress_

She finished up reading the letter and smiled expectantly at her father who was beaming. "When can we go to diagon alley?"

"Maybe next week cub full moon is in two days and i definetly dont have the strength to go tomorrow." he sighed

Emilia made a face best described by a pout. "Ah c'mon moony!" she protested by inside she was very tired too. If she was to be honest with herself she wasn't feeling up to going to diagon alley.

"I know for a fact that you are just as tired as i am so none of your pouting" he smiled. "How about lunch?"

She young girl smiled and nodded vigorously. Her stomach let out a low growl just then too. For now food sounded wonderful.

 **Hello! Sorry for such short chapters. I think the next chapter will go more in depth about the full moon so stick around! Also sorry for any spelling errors**


	3. Chapter 3: Full Moon To Remember

**Disclaimer: I don't own harry potter. Only the few characters i've made up.**

Chapter 3: Full Moon

Emilia Lupin currently lay on her bed, staring at her ceiling, in her dark bedroom. Her stomach gurgled and another wave of nausea swept over her. A small moan of pain escaped her dry lips. 'Why me? Why must i be a werewolf? Why must i endure this?' she reflected on her day along with yesterday. After lunch they had spent the rest of the day talking about hogwarts. After that they had turned in early because of being so exhausted. This morning she had woken up feeling like death. But she could tell that this full moon wasn't going to be as bad as some full moons. Some full moons she felt worse than others, some mornings after she transformed back she didn't even have the strength to sit up.

She hated being a werewolf. There was in fact a point in her life were she thought that being a werewolf was cool and different. But ever since she meet felicity that all changed. Who is felicity you may ask ? She thought back to the time when she was four, she had just met Felicity. The girl's family had moved into the house closest to them (they didn't have many neighbors and the houses were fairly far apart. Like out in the country maybe.) Felicity was her age and height exactly. She had long blond hair and bright blue eyes that reminded her of the lake outside. The two were instantly best friends. And what made their friendship even better was that felicity's family was a pureblood wizarding family! All was perfect. They used to race kiddie brooms and splash around in the lake.

Until the fateful day at just six years old. She thought of the memory:

 _The two girls flopped down on the cool grass, panting heavily. Emilia laughed haughtily at Felicity "i won"_

" _Did not"_

" _Did two"_

" _Whatever."_

 _Then a thought came to her head. 'Felicity doesn't know i'm a werewolf… i should tell her!' but moony said not to tell anyone… but they were best friends surely it was ok to tell the other girl… "Um hey can i ask you something?" she small girl asked in a quiet and shy voice._

 _Her playmate's attention was immediately on her. The other girl seemed to recognise the change in voice. "Of course you can" she said as if it was the stupidest question in the world._

" _What do you think of…" she couldn't just ask her outright… maybe she could maneuver the topic to werewolves. "Of unicorns?"_

 _Felicity smiled "I wish I could see a unicorn! I've never seen one in person but i've seen them in my books! What about you?"_

" _They are cool! I'd like to see one too. Um how about hippogriffs?" she asked shyly_

" _Hippogriffs are cool too i guess" her playmate responded._

" _What about…" she paused "werewolves…?"_

 _The other girl's eyes turned dark. Mummy said that they are something called halfbreeds. Same with centaurs. Daddy said not to talk to halfbreeds."_

" _But they can't be that bad? They are still human."_

" _Not always. Some have let their wolf side take over."_

 _Felicity surprised Emilia with her answer. How did she know so much about werewolves? "how do you know so much?"_

" _I've read about them. Don't tell daddy but i found his book on dark creatures. I was curious so…. You get the point. But it said that they are monsters. Lets not talk about such bad subjects?" the other girl said shyly_

 _Emilia decided to ignore the request and try to set things straight. "So you don't like werewolves?"_

 _The other girl grew nervous. "Beautiful sunset am I right?"_

" _You don't like werewolves? Why?!" she almost yelled. Her temper was rather short due to the full moon only being five days away. She could smell annoyance and nervousness coming off the girl. "Werewolves are harmless and misunderstood-"_

" _Werewolves are NOT harmless or misunderstood! Don't you know ANYTHING!?" the other girl stood up abruptly, startling emilia._

 _She too stood up, getting eye level with her friend. "No don't YOU know anything? For all you know you could be talking to a werewolf now! If I told you I was a werewolf what would you think?"_

" _Id think you were right mad! You can't possibly be a werewolf!"_

" _How do you know!?"_

" _THEY ARE MONSTERS EMILIA! MUMMY WOULD NEVER LET ME NEAR A HALF BREED AND FOR THAT I'M THANKFUL!" Felicity screeched._

" _Well your mum's not doing a very good job then!"_

" _WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!"  
" IT MEANS, YOU TROLL, THAT I'M A WEREWOLF! WHY ELSE WOULD I BRING UP THE SUBJECT?!"_

 _-End memory-_

Felicity had screamed at her, called her a liar for deceiving her, called her half breed scum, and then run home. Emilia had been too focused on not crying at her friend's words to pay too much attention to the tall silhouette of someone standing at her back door. After ward she had stumbled onto the back porch and promptly collapsed crying into moony's arms, As he had seen most of what happened. They then had a talk about society's views on werewolves (especially stuck up pureblood views) and why it was important to keep it all secret.

She slowly and carefully sat up in bed and looked out the window. Her window overlooked the lake. The sun was rapidly setting and the sky was now a deep orange.

Her sensitive ears picked up the sound of heavy and sluggish footsteps slowly climbing up the stairs. Her nose, even more sensitive, picked up on the smell of chocolate and lavender, Moony's smell. Soon a weak tapping on her door could be heard.

"Come'on cub, we should hurry out there"

Emilia sighed and carefully got off the bed and made her way to the door. This would be a long night.

Emilia sat on a large boulder in the forest, looking at her hands, trying to avoid the thought of how much the transformation would hurt.

"Alright cub?" moony asked

" nervous." she sighed. Her eyes meet his and she could see his look of understanding. "I guess it's something i should be used to…" she mumbled.

" even i get nervous about the pain."

"I've been a werewolf all my life. Why am i not used to it?"

"I don't know moonlet."

Emilia smiled at the nickname. He had slipped up and called her her wolf name, Moonlet. But it was close enough to the full moon it really didn't matter. "You called me moonlet. I guess it's so close it doesn't matter but…"

"I like my cubs name" he smiled.

They went silent for a while, thinking.

Then a wave of pain hit. The first wave of many. White hot pain so intense she couldn't breath "it's… it's happening" she gasped. She could feel her bones cracking and moving. Her ribcage getting wider, her muzzle forming, ears shifting. It all hurt so bad! A transformation that was supposed to take 20 seconds seemed to last 20 min.

Finally the wolf emerged and took over her entire mind. Her now amber eyes gazed up at her alpha, moony. She barked loudly signaling to the older wolf that she wanted to play. Without warning Moony pounced on her playfully. She rolled over before he could pin her and climbed on top of him. She tried to pin him down but being only half his size made it difficult.

For almost half the night they rolled around playfully barking happily. Anyone watching would have agreed that the cub and alpha playing together were cute. For that moment in time Moonlet was truly happy.

 **And another chapter done! Please review! Let me know if i should continue this or if it's garbage.**


	4. Chapter 4:Surprise at Madame Malkin's

**Disclaimer: see any of the last three pages. I don't own harry potter only the characters i've made up for this story.**

Chapter 4: the surprise at madame malkin's

Emilia had heard tales of the marauders her whole life. Stories of pranks they pulled, stories of full moons, stories of the actual people and what they were like. She knew all about James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius Black. She she had heard great things about all of them. But she had also heard all the bad things. She knew the story of how james and lily died, and of the famous harry potter who was just two day younger than her. She knew how you-know-who came to james and lily's house. They were betrayed by black. And you-know-who killed James and Lily and tried to kill harry. Now he was the chosen one and famous for stopping the dark lord. Moony had told her that James and Lily were her godparents but they were now of course dead. He told her that if they were still alive and if black had not betrayed them, that Harry would have been almost like a brother and everyone else like aunt and uncles. But she had none of that. She only had mooney. She didn't even have a mom. She knew little about her mom, Moony didn't like to discuss how she died so Emilia had no clue. But she knew that her mom was named Ella, she was a metamorphmagus, and she was the kindest person he'd ever met. Ella always looked for the good in people. And just like her mom, she also was a metamorphmagus. Yes she was indeed a metamorphmagus but she could not control it well at all. At any moment her hair could change colors, from orange to neon green, she'd had all colors. Fortunately her hair was the only thing that changed for her.

She had always known Harry Potter would be in her year at hogwarts. And to say she was excited to meet him was an understatement. She had daydreamed about the day she would meet the boy! Bu what would she say? Just walking up to him and telling him all she knew about him probably wasn't the best idea. Shed seen pictures of Lily, James, and baby Harry, and wondered what he looked like now. She could tell just from pictures that he looked like James with lily's eyes. Should she tell him that? That might be creepy. But what Emilia wasn't expecting was that once she walked into madam Malkin's robe shop a week after the full moon she would be face to face with the very boy she had been thinking about moments later. Harry Potter stood just feet away from her and he was talking to none other than draco malfoy.

 **I'm sorry it's so short! A new chapter that is much longer will be up tomorrow hopefully. Please review and tell me if this story is one worthy of continuing! And thank you so much too anyone who followed, reviewed, etc.!**


	5. Chapter 5: Trip to Diagon Alley

**Disclaimer: see chapter 1 (i don't own Harry Potter)**

 **Thank you to all those who followed, reviewed, etc. It really mean alot to me!**

Chapter 5: Diagon Alley

Emilia Lupin Currently sat at the kitchen table Reading. Well she was trying to at least. Her mind kept wandering off to the subject of hogwarts. She would get to go to hogwarts! She had been slightly worried about her 'furry problem',as she called it, and what she would do during the full moon. Moony had assured her that she would be going to the Whomping Willow and down a cool secret passage that lead to the secret shack. But how in merlin's name would she be able to hide her condition for all seven years? Of course people would suspect what she was! And… would Felicity be there? Merlin she hated that girl. Ever since... _that night…_ Felicity had taken every opportunity to tease her about being a "bloody Halfbreed". Would Felicity tell everyone? But now that she thought about it, She was pretty sure Felicity was going to Beauxbatons… she'd have to ask Moony he might know.

She looked up from the quidditch book and sighed. It had been thirty min. And she hadn't even finished a page. Deciding to forget the book for now she closed it and slid it away from her. That quidditch book she had gotten for her birthday. It was a birthday present from Moony. Her birthday had been two days ago, july 29th, which was just two days before Harry Potters Birthday. And Speaking of his birthday that day was today! Also the day they were going to diagon alley.

"You ok there Emilia?" they sound of Moony's voice startled the young werewolf. She had been so lost in thought she hadn't even heard him come down the stairs.

"Yup" she sighed "just lost in thought". She looked at the old clock on a wall and her face lit up "can we go to Diagon Alley now?" she smiled up at Remus.

He looked at the clock then at her "i guess we can leave. Grab a cloak and meet me down here in five minutes"

He smiled as the young girl excitedly took off up the stairs to her room. Now to see if he had enough money to buy her school things. The budget would be tight this year due to not having a stable job.

The young werewolf stood in the middle of the crowded street of Diagon Alley taking in the sights. It had been forever since she'd been here!

"Common emilia if you can't keep up i'll put a toddler charm on you!" she heard the older werewolf call from a ways ahead. She blushed a deep red and kept walking.

The trip to gringotts was interesting as always, but she didn't like the goblins much. And of course the ride down to the vault was fun as always, though she didn't think Moony enjoyed it as much. After they had finished up at the wizarding bank they decided to go to ollivanders

Emilia walked into the dusty and empty wand shop known as 'ollivanders'. An older man sat at the counter and appeared deep in thought.

"Excuse me mr. Ollivander? I'm here to purchase a wand…" Emilia's words seemed to snap him out of his state of deep thought.

"Ahh young Lupin." he smiled kindly at her then he looked at Moony "i remember the day you came here for your wand mr. lupin. Cypress with a unicorn hair core 10 and ¼ inches if i remember correctly."

"How do you know his wand type? He must have come in years ago!" she looked at Ollivander with a surprised expression.

"I remember every wand i've ever sold ms. Lupin. Now i think you'd like to find yours?"

"Uh yeah sure." she said absentmindedly. This guy was...interesting to say the least…

Ollivander disappeared behind the enormous shelves full of dusty boxes of wands. For a few minutes it was quiet. Finally the old wizard reappeared behind the shelves holding a small rectangular box. "Yew wood, unicorn hair, 11 ½ inches. Try this" he gingerly handed the wand to emilia.

She stood there a few seconds staring at at unsure what to do.

"Nope definitely not" he said and swiped the wand from her and turned around to find another wand.

"How do you know? Nothing happened!" emilia called to the old wizards turned back. No answer came but instead a new wand was carefully handed to her.

"Redwood, dragon heartstring, 9 ¼ inches"

She waved it around a little and once again nothing happened. "So is something supposed to happen?" she asked while rolling her eyes at the wand

"That's not it either i'm afraid." another wand was then taken from her.

Three more wands had been tried but none of them seemed to be it. Then Ollivander came out with a sleek black rectangular box that caught Emilia's eye.

"Sycamore, dragon heartstring, 12 ¾ inches." he handed it to her gingerly once again.

As soon as her fingertips brushed up against it she was overcome by a warm feeling. "Whoa…" was all she could say. She stared down at the wand. It was rather pretty in her opinion.

"That's it! I've been waiting years for that wand to find a wizard to their liking. That is one fine wand ms. Lupin."

"Congratulations cub! I'll pay and you go to Madame Malkin's to get your school robes fitted."

"O-ok.." she walked out the door still looking at the wand in wonder. She had a wand! How many years was it that she had waited for this moment?

Next it was to Madame Malkin's Robe shop for her school uniform. She walked inside the considerably less dusty store and froze. Is that…..no it couldn't be...Harry Potter? And he was talking to none other than Draco Malfoy…. And from what it looked like they were deep in discussion. This might be bad.

You see, Emilia had met the malfoy family before (unfortunately). They had meet at the ministry of magic in the werewolf registration department…

-memory begin-

 _Young seven year old Emilia Lupin held her Father's hand as they walked through the crowded hallway. Soon the would be to the flooding area and could go home. In fact it was in sight. "You can let go of my hand now moony" the little girl giggled_

 _Remus looked nervously down at his daughter before letting go. They were nearly there and she wanted to go home just as much as he did so there was no harm in it. The young girl continued walking behind her father until something caught her eye. A huge fountain! And there was a mermaid on it! That looked cool but they hadn't been able to look at it when they first got here._

 _Remus stopped walking as soon as he heard the distinct lack of footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw his cub standing still and looking at the fountain. He knew he shouldn't have let go of her, she's much too curious for her own good. He started walking to his daughter before she was lost in the crowd._

 _Emilia hadn't even realized she had stopped walking until someone crashed into her._

" _Ouch! Watch where you're going!" a blond haired boy her age shouted_

" _Now Draco let's not shout. What's your name?' an old man with long blond hair looked down his nose at her. She instantly didn't like him. Something was off...his smell maybe?_

" _My names Emilia Lupin. Nice to meet you?" she swallowed hard. Where was Moony?_

" _Your Lupin's child?" as draco said this he looked disgusted. "Didn't you say he was a werewolf father?" he said smugly._

 _Suddenly Emilia wanted to punch that smug look off the boy's face. Didn't he have any tact? He was probably said that on purpose. "Yeah maybe he is. So? He's still probably a better person than you."_

 _She heard the sound of someone clearing their throat behind her. She didn't even have to turn around to know who he was. 'How does Moony always show up at the worst time?'_

" _Manners Emilia. Excuse me Lucious we really must be going." and with that Remus grabbed emilia's hand and left._

 _-end of flashback-_

Emilia bravely walked up to Harry and Draco. Once they realized she was there they stopped and looked at her. Emilia could tell that draco was trying to place her, he most definitely recognized her from somewhere.

"Hello you must be Harry Potter. Pleasure to meet you at last! Im Emilia Lupin!" she beamed at harry. He had messy jet black hair, round wire rimmed glasses, and a lightning bolt shaped scar.

She knew after she said her name Draco would recognize her. And he didn't disappoint. "Aren't you the Werewolf's child?" he sneered.

'Darn it draco why?' she thought angrily. "I have no clue what you're talking about Mr. Malfoy. Now if you excuse me i don't believe i was talking to you." She smiled innocently then looked back at harry. "I'll be looking forward to seeing you at hogwarts Harry." this time she smiled a genuine smile.

Harry smiled awkwardly not really knowing what to say. Fortunately for him, a giant of a man who appeared to be showing him around came in and waved him over. "Goodbye Harry!" she waved at him and smiled once again.

Once they were out of earshot malfoy decided to speak up. "I thought werewolves weren't allowed at hogwarts."

"Then how'd my dad attend?" she shot back

"You are one of them, aren't you? A filthy half breed?" he frowned.

"And so what if a am?"

"You aren't denying it."

Emilia's hands clenched into fists. She was focusing so hard on not saying something she'd regret. Then she saw Malfoy's face. he was shocked and standing in front of her with his eyes as big as saucers.

"Y-your hair. Its…. bright red…" he looked more confused then dumbfounded as he said this.

The young girl sighed and shook her head violently, returning her hair back to its original sandy brown. "Metamorphmagus." she muttered just loud enough for him to hear.

Emilia decided she'd had enough of draco Malfoy for one day. Man she hated this guy. "Sorry Draco but i have better things to do with my time than waste it speaking to a troll like yourself."

"Filthy Half Breed" he spat. Malfoy then turned around and left the shop with his new robes.

After Emilia received her new robes she exited the shop and found Moony there with all her new school books he had purchased while waiting. When he saw her he smirked. "What happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Cub your hair is dark red. What happened that made you so mad?" remus asked, clearly amused.

She shook her head once again returning it to its sandy brown color. "Maloys" she mumbled.

Remus had to strain his ears to hear her, even with his werewolf hearing. Once he knew what she said he paled. "You ran into the Malfoys?"

"Just draco. Oh i met Harry!" she said trying to switch the topic. Clearly it worked. She answered questions about harry while they ran to a few more stores. The day at Diagon Alley was fun, besides the part with Draco. But all in all it was a good day.

 **Yay chapter five is finished! Sorry for any spelling mistakes. Please review anything (good or bad) would mean a lot too me!**


	6. Chapter 6 Platform 9 and three quarters

**Disclaimer: see chapter 1. I don't own Harry Potter.**

Chapter 6: Platform 9 ¾

"Wow.." the young girl stepped through the barrier and onto the platform where the hogwarts express would be arriving in about eleven minutes. "Thats cool…" she smiled to herself. She walked ahead so as to not be run over by other witches and wizards.

"Ok cub are you sure you have everything?" Remus asked for the third time that day.

"Yes moony" she rolled her eyes up at the older werewolf.

"Your books?"

"Yup"

"Your-"

Emilia cut him off "we went over this already!" she smiled. She was desperately trying to act calm but she didn't feel like she was doing the best job. In reality she was nervous. Who wouldn't be? But her whole life she only had Moony and now she'd be shoved into a school full of kids, without being able to see her dad for months.

"Dad…" said nervously "what if my friends find out i'm a werewolf?"

"Then hopefully they'll be good enough friends to accept that."

"What if…" she paused "i hurt someone? Or turn them…" she said in a small voice

"I don't think that will be a problem. You'll have wolfsbane potion so you'll keep your human mind." he smiled reassuringly

"Have you ever tried wolfsbane? We don't have it at home." she asked

"Once." he said simply. Obviously he wasn't going to go into detail so Emilia dropped the subject. She looked back behind her and was glad to see that the train had arrived. She turned and gave her father a fierce hug, which he returned. "I'll miss you cub" he smiled.

"I'll miss you too moony." she frowned  
He waved his hand to shoo her towards the train. "Now get going cub. And remember to write!" he called as she ran off towards the train, her shrunken trunk in her pocket.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Emilia walked into the train and looked around. 'Now what?'. She frowned to herself. Where was she supposed to sit. She felt the train starts to move and decided that standing there probably wasn't the best idea. She sighed, All of the compartments were either full or had older students in them that she didn't recognize. 'Then again' she thought 'I don't really recognize anyone here'. Them she came across a compartment that two boys currently shared. They looked about her age, one with red hair and one with messy black hair. She didn't mind boys so he slid open the compartment door and peered in. gathering her courage she spoke "Hello! May I sit with you two? The other compartments are full." she smiled politely once she finished.

"Of course come on in" she boy with black hair spoke. Wait she recognized him… Harry potter! Of all the compartments she choose she picked his, how cool. He seemed to recognize her too apparently, "i met you in Diagon Alley! I'm sorry but i forgot your name." he smiled shyly.

"It's ok, my name is Emilia Lupin. Nice to meet you...again?" she blushed as she said the last part. "And what's your name?" she turned to the boy with flaming red hair. He had old clothes that looked like hand-me-downs and he was carrying a rat.

"My names Ronald Weasley" he half smiled in her direction."

"Well Ronald mice to meet you" she smiled politely once again. She sat down next to harry.

For a while there was an awkward silence but before long they were talking about hogwarts and ron told them what his brothers said about it. A ways into the train ride an old witch pushing a trolley full of candy came around. Sadly she didn't have much money on her and neither did Ron. but harry had surprised them and pulled out **galleons**!

"Harry what house do you reckon you'll get into?" emilia asked right before she took a bite out of a chocolate frog.

"Um…. house?" harry looked puzzled.

"Yeah house, mate! You know, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin?" Ron spoke up with his house full.

"I hope for Gryffindor personally." Emilia smiled proudly.

"My whole family's' been a gryffindor. I hope i am. Could you image if i was sorted into hufflepuff?" ron frowned. "Or…" he pulled a face " _slytherin_?"

"Umm i haven't heard of houses actually" harry replied

"Let me explain" emilia smiled "you are sorted into different houses once you get to hogwarts. And the house is kinda like your family. Gryffindor house values bravery, daring, nerve, and chivalry. Gryffindor's animal of sorts is a lion. Hufflepuff values hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty, and fair play. Hufflepuff's animal is the badger. Ravenclaw values intelligence, knowledge, and wit. Their animal is eagle. Slytherin house values ambition, cunning and resourcefulness. Their animal is a snake." she finished proudly. "Both my mum and dad were Gryffindors so i hope i am too."

"Oh. cool" harry said. It was fairly obvious he didn't quite get it but he probably wouldn't until he got there.

Just then the compartment door slid open and a girl with bushy brown hair walked in. "excuse me but a kid named Neville has lost his toad. Have you you seen it?" she sounded bossy. The girl's sent was of parchment and vanilla.

"Who are you?" emilia asked. That probably didn't sound all that nice now that she thought about it. "Sorry, that's not what i meant. Um…. what's your name?"

"Oh excuse my manners. Im hermione granger. And you are?..." she seemed unimpressed with her. Emilia could guess why. None of her clothes were all that new and kinda patchy in places (thanks to transformations and not much money). "I'm Emilia Lupin." usually she'd ad a 'pleasure to meet you' but she wasn't real impressed with this girls attitude.

Hermione forgot all about her when she saw who Emilia was sitting next to. "Oh my goodness! Your Harry Potter!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I've read about you! You defeated you know who!"

Honestly, this girl had no idea what to say to people! Emilia had heard all about Harry and Seen pictures of him and heard stories. Yet she had yet to bring it up because it might weird him out. She'd tell him later.

"Anyways you'd better get your robes on. We are almost there." Hermione turned around and left the compartment just as fast as she came in.

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Emilia stepped off the train and onto the station and hogsmeade. It was getting dark out about now she realized. They had been on the train all day! She turned to ask harry something when she realized… he wasn't there. Neither was ron. They must have walked ahead and forgot about her. Gee thanks guys. Well she had to continue walking so as not to be left behind. But where?

"FIRS' YEARS THIS WAY! FIRS' YEARS!" that giant of a man she saw in Diagon alley with Harry was standing over to the side and shouting for the first years to follow him. So that's where she was supposed to go then.

As they were walking she saw Harry and Ron way up at the front by the Half Giant. 'Hagrid i think his name was? Was that what Harry said?' she wondered. She wanted to walk with someone but she didn't want to run all the way up there.

"Excuse me?" a girl with long messy brown hair tapped her on the shoulder. "Have you seen Ammon? Or Michael?"

Emilia just looked at her puzzled. How was she supposed to know who these people were? "Umm… i don't know who they are. Sorry."

"Oh it's alright. They've seem to ran ahead. My name is Dominique by the way. And this is my friend Hannah." Dominique gestured towards a girl with short blond hair that emilia hadn't even noticed.

"Hello dominique, hannah" she nodded politely. "Im Emilia Lupin"

Hannah shook her hand "Hannah Steere"

Dominique shook emilia's hand also "im dominique Morrison. But friends call me domino."

"ALRIGHT CLIMB INTO A BOAT!" Hagrid yelled up ahead of them.  
"cool ! boats! Want to ride with us Emilia?" Dominique invited.

Emilia decided not to reject the offer. These girls were really nice after all.

"So Emilia what house do you reckon you'll be put into?" Hannah asked. The three first years were in one boat, traveling over a lake.

"Hopefully Gryffindor." Emilia smiled.

"My family are purebloods and most of them have been in slytherin. My mum and aunt were in ravenclaw. But i don't want to be in slytherin and i don't think i'm smart enough to be in Ravenclaw. In rather curious about the houses really." hannah said. "Domino?"

Dominique shook her head. "I'm a muggle born. I don't really know much about the houses."

"How do you two know each other then?" the young werewolf asked.

"Well," hannah started "i've known michael for a long time. He's a pureblood and his family is made up of gryffindors and Ravenclaws. But we're related so we'd see each other every so often and we quickly became friends. I liked him much better than Draco so i stuck with him-"

"You're related to the Malfoys?!" Emilia almost yelled

"I told you, i'm a pureblood family made up of almost all slytherins. Most pureblood families are related to each other. Anyways, Michael introduced me to Ammon when we were nine and since then it was us three. And on the train we meet Dominique." Hannah finished.

Emilia thought for a moment. "So is there any room for another friends to join?" she smiled.

"I guess if they allowed me to be then there's room for another" Domino smiled too.

"Cool. hey so is Ammon a pureblood too?"

"Nope. he's halfblood. Apparently his Dad was muggle born and his mom was a Half Blood." hannah said. "Whoa look!" she pointed to a huge castle that was rapidly approaching. It was massive! And not to mention very pretty. They had arrived at Hogwarts Castle.

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"Welcome students to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…" An old witch in a green cloak started to explain all about the school and the four houses. Because Emilia already knew this she tuned out the older witch and focused on her new friends. She hoped at least one of them would be in gryffindor. And she was excited to meet Ammon and Michael.

"Alright students i think the rest of the school is ready for you now…"

 **Hello dear readers! My goal is to post a chapter everyday but in case that doesn't work out (which it most likely won't) i will try for 3 chapters a week. Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7: The Sorting Hat

**Disclaimer: i don't own harry potter.**

Chapter 7: The Sorting Hat

The young first years were lead through a huge door. Emilia gasped as she saw what laid behind the door. A grand great hall. Five tables were set up. One for each house and one for the professors. Candles were floating near a ceiling that looked more like a starry sky.

"The ceiling is enchanted to look that way. I read about it in hogwarts a history." she heard the same bossy voice she heard on the train whisper. Hermione was the girls name right? But she was close to the front, how did Emilia hear her? 'Must be werewolf hearing' she thought.

The first years walked down an isle in the middle of the four tables. They came to a halt at the front of the great hall.

"What do you reckon they'll have us do?" domino whispered.

"It has something to do with a hat…" emilia said while trying to remember what moony had told her.

"The hat will tell you where you belong." hannah said simply.

Domino looked confused. "How will a hat tell us?"

"Just watch."

The older witch who had been addressed as professor McGonagall cleared her throat. She then placed a stool down in front of the whole school, and a hat on top of that. Then something marvelous happened. The hat started talking!

"Oh you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

if you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folks use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The great hall erupted in applause. The sorting hat seemed to take a bow. McGonagall cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"When I call your name you will sit on the stool and put on the hat to be sorted." she pulled out a list and read, "Abbott, Hannah"

A pink faced girl with blond ponytails came up to the stool. After she put the hat on her head it shouted "HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Bones, Susan" became the second hufflepuff.

"Boot, Terry" "RAVENCLAW"

"Brocklehurst, Mandy" "RAVENCLAW"

"Bulstrode, Millicent" "SLYTHERIN". When emilia looked over at the slytherin table she gave an amused smile. They were a lot like what she'd heard about them. The looked like an unpleasant lot.

"Christiansen, Ammon" Emilia's head snapped up. This was the boy they were talking about! Ammon had blond hair and brilliant blue eyes. Once the hat touched his head the hat yelled "GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table erupted in applause and cheers. There was something about that boy. Her inner wolf longed for him.

After a few more people were sorted she heard the name "Granger, Hermione".

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted. Ron groaned and emilia mentally sighed. At least Ron wouldn't be sharing a dorm with the girl.

"Longbottom, Neville". The smaller boy tripped on his way up to the stool. The hat had proclaimed him a gryffindor which had surprised Emilia. Neville had actually ran off with the hat on and had to jog back to the front.

"Lupin, Emilia" Emilia's heart skipped a beat. She slowly made her way up to the stool and sat down. Her heart was pounding. The last thing she saw before the hat slipped over her eyes was the whole student body staring at her.

"How interesting… very brave i see…" a voice in her ear made her jump. 'Brave?' she thought 'i don't feel very brave right now…'

"Not many students do while up here. But I see more than what you feel now." the voice said. "Now where to put you… this one is easy, I know where you'll go"

"GRYFFINDOR!" Emilia heard the hat shout. She sighed, relieved she wasn't put in slytherin or something. She heard the Gryffindor table once again cheer and applaud. She took a seat by ammon and her inner wolf practically jumped in joy. 'This is weird' she thought 'moonlet has never acted like this…'

The name "Malfoy, Draco" snapped her out of her thoughts. She rolled her eyes when the hat yelled "SLYTHERIN" right as it touched his head.

"Morrison, Dominique". Her new friend walked up to the stool. She sat nearly a minute before she heard "GRYFFINDOR!". Emilia and Ammon Cheered the loudest. Ammon gave her a friendly pat on the back as she joined them.

"Potter, Harry" as soon as the name was called out whispers broke out amongst the students.

"Harry Potter?"

"Is it really him?"

After maybe thirty seconds the hat yelled "GRYFFINDOR!". The Gryffindor table let out the loudest cheer yet! And Emilia laughed when she heard the Weasley twins chant "we got Potter! We got Potter!"

"Rawlings, Michael" a good looking boy with dark brown hair and hazel eyes stepped up.

"Hey that's michael!" ammon whispered "I bet ravenclaw, he's brilliant."

"Yea but the sorting hat takes what you want into account right? And he wants to be with you." domino pointed out. "I say gryffindor."

"True. but still, he's impossibly smart." ammon smiled. That smile! He was so cute when he smiled! But what was she thinking? She hadn't even properly met the guy!

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Domino smirked and Ammon rolled his eyes.

"Steere, Hannah". Hannah sat on to stool for a full minute and a half until the hat finally shouted "GRYFFINDOR!". She saw hannah give a weak smile. Emilia couldn't help but notice malfoy's frown from across the great hall.

Finally the last two were sorted. Ron in Gryffindor and a kid named Blaise Zabini in slytherin.

Emilia stared longingly down at her empty golden plate. She just realized how hungry she was. She looked across the table and saw Harry thinking the same thing.

Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"

Once he sat back down everyone clapped and cheered. Emilia didn't know wether to laugh or not. She looked back to the table and gasped. The previously food-less table was now covered in foods of every kind! She'd never seen so much food in her life! She started to pile up her plate.

"So Emilia, meet Ammon and Michael. Ammon and Michael Meet Emilia." Dominique beamed.

Ammon flashed that brilliant smile of his at Emilia. Moonlet was practically clawing for him. This was very weird. She'd have to write moony. "Im Emilia Lupin. Nice to meet you." she shook both boys' hands. They spent most of the feast talking to each other and getting to know each other more. Emilia felt giddy with joy. She had friends! She had a group of friends before the first day had even ended! This would be a great year.


	8. Chapter 8: First Day Classes

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

Chapter 8: First Day Classes

Moonlet sat amongst the bushes in a dense forest. The full moon shone high above, lighting up the ground. Every once and awhile there would be a small squirrel race by. Other than small woodland creatures the only other sounds were the wind between the trees. She lifted her nose and inhaled. She smelled the usual pine, dirt, and...something else. Moonlet strained her ears. Then she picked up on something... footsteps. A lone girl walked along a beaten path a few yards away. The trespasser had unknowingly wandered inside of a werewolf's territory. Now that unfortunate human would be a midnight snack.

Moonlet crept ever so slowly towards the girl. The wolf was well hidden behind the bushes. A twig snapped under her paw and the human girl looked up.

"Hello? Is someone there?" she asked, her voice shaky. "Or are you just another mouse?" she muttered to herself. The girl looked familiar to Moonlet's human side. The human side of her was pleading Moonlet not to attack. The wolf obeyed for now.

The young girl stepped closer to the bushes Moonlet was hiding in. "come here little one, i won't hurt you. Are you lost?" the young girl outstretched her hand as if to help a little rabbit. 'Sorry Emilia' moonlet thought 'but i'm hungry'.

Moonlet stepped out of the bushes, standing on all fours. She let out a fierce growl, her amber eyes flashed as a last warning for the girl to get out or become dinner.

The girl was frozen in fear, looking up at the giant wolf. Moonlet got a closer look at the human. She looked around the human side's age. Eleven was it? The girl had long brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a gryffindor hogwarts uniform. Her human side pleaded with Moonlet to let the girl go. Moonlet would not back down.

"P-please...Please n-no…" she girl's voice was hoarse. She was visibly shaking in fear. "I got lost… please… don't hurt me…".

Moonlet crept slowly towards her meal. The target was easy enough. Moonlet's mouth was watering. She hadn't had a human before, though the wolf had always craved one. Without warning the wolf pounced. The girl let out a blood curdling scream in pain. The cry was quickly silenced with a swift bite at the throat. A steady stream of blood crept down the human's neck…

Emilia shot upward out of bed. "NO MOONLET DON'T!" she screamed. She looked around and noticed that she wasn't in a forest anymore. She wasn't even outside. She was laying in a big four poster bed colored with the Gryffindor house colors.

The curtains were wrenched open. The face of the girl in her dream stared down at her with wide eyes. "Emilia? Are you ok?"

She focused on the face. She recognized this girl. Dominique! And she wasn't dead! It had all been a dream! Emilia sighed and layed her head back onto the pillow, a smile evident on her face. "Just a bad dream Domino." she whispered.

"Your shaking! Are you sure you're alright?"

Emilia nodded

"And who's Moonlet?"

Emilia went pale. "M-Moonlet? Um…" she paused. She hated lying to the girl but she had to do it. "Just a name. Of a… wolf?"

Domino looked confused "a wolf?"

"Yeah. anyways, what time is it?" she said trying to change the topic.

"Time to head off to breakfast. Let's go already!" came Hannah's reply from across the room.

Emilia sighed and got out of her warm bed. She crossed the room and looked into a full length mirror. She looked like a mess. Her wavy sandy brown hair was tangled and sticking every which way. She wore a light blue baggy t shirt and a pair of old grey sweatpants as pj's. 'My friends don't know i'm a metamorphmagus do they?' she thought mischievously. 'If i was only able to control it. I could do some serious pranking. Dang.

She shook her head violently from side to side. When she stopped she was pleased to see her hair was back to it's normal, untangled, self. she changed into her gryffindor uniform and they finally headed off to Breakfast.

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"Hey guys! Over here!" Ammon waved the three girls over to a spot at the Gryffindor table. Once they sat down everyone started talking.

"So what classes do we have today?" ammon asked no one in particular. He dished some food onto his plate and dug in.

"Well," michael spoke up "we have transfiguration first. It looks like we also have potions later."

"Potions should be interesting" domino chirped

"Not from what i've heard about it." Emilia spoke up. Everyone looked at her as if expecting an explanation. "I've heard that he's not too pleasant." she frowned.

"I know who teaches Potions" hannah said quietly. I've seen him at the Malfoy Manor. He doesn't look to nice either. 'Ive kept my distance."

Emilia at very little. She wouldn't tell anyone this, but she was getting a bit homesick. This was all so new! The people, the castle, the smells, even the beds! It was a lot to get used to.

The young werewolf looked up at her plate. She decided to try and focus on the rest of the conversation. But when she looked at her friends she realized they were all staring at her in shock! Domino's mouth hung open, michael's eyes were wide, Ammon stopped eating and had his fork still in his mouth, and Hannah just lifted one eyebrow at her.

"What? You guys are freaking me out" emilia laughed a little.

"Y-your hair! It's BLUE!" domino yelled. Some other gryffindors heard her and were now looking at her too.

Emilia sighed. "I'm a metamorphmagus." she said simply. She shook her head side to side and resumed her breakfast.

"So is your mum or dad one too?" hannah asked.

"Emilia frowned. "My mum was." she muttered just loud enough for them to hear.

"Well i think we should head to class. Comon guys." michael got up and everyone followed. "Off to transfiguration"

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"So what's you think of transfigurations?"

The five friends were walking along a busy corridor that lead down to the dungeons. They had just come out of Mcgonagall's class.

"Seems hard" Emilia commented. "But interesting."

"I'm excited!" domino smiled

Hannah shrugged. "So potions is next. I don't know what to expect."

"It probably won't be too bad" dominique rolled her eyes."you two should give the guy a chance"

Hannah and Emilia exchanged looks.

Emilia smiled. "You know what domino? If the class goes well then-"

"-im not betting" domino frowned

"Why not?" hannah smiled innocently. They stopped in the middle of the hallway.

"Because. I'm not sure if it will or not." domino's frown deepend.

Emilia rolled her eyes. "That's the point of betting silly. I owe you. How about that?"

Dominique finally gave in. "fine. But no more bets." she walked forward to catch up to the guys. Hannah and Emilia exchanged smirks.

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A tall professor with long black hair walked into the room. His black robes billowed behind him. Hannah was right, he didn't seem all that pleasant.

He took roll call, going through the names of the class. Once he got to harry's name he stopped.

"Ah, Yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new - celebrity."

Emilia noticed Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle snigger behind their hands.

He finished up roll call and started talking. "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word - like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death - if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

Emilia and hannah exchanged looks. "Did he just call us dunderheads?" Emilia whispered. Hermione sat on the edge of her seat. She looked ready to prove herself.

"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Emilia had no idea what he was asking and she grew up in the wizarding world, so how was harry supposed to know? And of course Hermione's hand shot into the air.

"I don't know sir." harry said.

"Tut tut. Clearly fame isn't everything." his lips curled into a sneer. Snape ignored Hermione and kept talking. "Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Hermione's hand waved frantically in the air. Harry once again looked lost. Emilia frowned at Malfoy and his friends who were now shaking with laughter.

"I don't know sir" said harry.

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?" he sneered. "What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

At this hermione actually stood up and stretched her hand as high as it would go. 'Know it all' the young werewolf thought.

Emilia knew the answer. She knew that monkshood and Wolfsbane were the same thing. But there was no way she was going to answer Snape's question. Plus the professor probably wasn't going to call on her as he seemed too focused with picking on harry. Man she hated this guy.

"I don't know," said Harry quietly. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"

A few people laughed.

"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"

There were noises of parchment rustling and book bags scraping across the floor. Emilia didn't even bother to get her stuff out.

"And a point will be taken from gryffindor for your cheek, potter"

Sadly things didn't get better for the gryffindors during the lesson. They were put into pairs and told to make a simple potion for curing boils. The potions master walked around criticizing everyone except malfoy, who he seemed to like. Why would he like Malfoy though? He was slytherin head of house, but out off all the slytherin's he choose Malfoy?

Emilia was paired with hannah. This was where she learned that she, Emilia Lupin, absolutely sucked at potions. When their potion was supposed to be a pale green and slightly bubbling Emilia and hannah's potion was a dark greenish brown and bubbling like mad. She looked through her directions while tuning out Snape's praises of Malfoy's perfectly stewed horned slugs.

Suddenly puffs of green acid smoke and hissing noises filled the dungeons. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor. Emilia gasped as she felt the potion burn a hole in her already old and worn sneakers. Soon all the students were standing on their stools. Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.

"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?" Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose. "Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus. Then he rounded on Harry and Ron, who had been working next to Neville. "You - Potter - why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."

Emilia and Harry both opened their mouths to argue but ron kicked harry and Emilia was elbowed by hannah. "That's so unfair!" emilia whispered.

An hour later emilia walked up the stairs leading out of the dungeons along side Michael. "I hate him." Emilia frowned. "He has a thing against gryffindors doesn't he?"

"Well he is slytherin head of house. Gryffindor and Slytherin are enemy's." michael pointed out.

"True true. But he's taking it too far. Teachers shouldn't let that affect how they treat students. He was definitely picking on harry!" Emilia's frown deepened. "And that reminds me, i won that bet with domino"

Michael smiled. "Lemme guess. She said he wouldn't be that bad? Or to give him a chance?"

"Yep." emilia smiled. She liked michael. But she was really surprised he wasn't in ravenclaw. He was very mature and wise for an eleven year old. And ammon was right, he was wicked smart.

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Emilia took off her outer robes and flopped onto the bed. Who knew school could be so exhausting? She sat up after a while and joined her friends conversation. They were gathered on dominique's bed, chatting and gossiping about school stuff. Well domino was doing most of the gossiping really. Hannah just stayed quiet and listened. Hermione was on her bed reading and blocking out the conversation. And the Patil twins were on dominiques bed chatting too. Emilia thought about her new friends. Domino was more the gossiping girly type. The girl who wore excessive amounts of makeup. She also had that innocent personality. Out of the two girls Emilia felt she was closest to Hannah. Hannah was quieter than her other friends. She was easy to talk to and always went along with any jokes. Already emilia and hannah had a bit of a bond. There was also michael. He was a pretty mature eleven year old. He was a huge bookworm and was really smart. He would have done well in Ravenclaw. But he must have asked to be in gryffindor so he could be with hannah and Ammon. Ammon. Ammon was the popular ladies man type of guy. And he was only eleven! Quite the charmer for a first year! He was great to joke around with and had a talent of cheering people up. And not to mention he was cute! He had a wonderful smile. His blond hair and ocean blue eyes were dreamy. No, she couldn't think about that. She was a werewolf after all, a monster. Who would want to date a monster like her? Plus she was only eleven, she couldn't think about dating yet.

Yet every time she thought about Ammon the wolf inside her seemed to jump. Moonlet was interested in him. That was weird to Emilia. Moonlet had never acted this way! Usually she could block out the wolf when the full moon was a ways away but the wolf seemed to come forth when thinking of the blond first year.

"Hey guys look at this! There's been a break in at gringotts!" domino waved a copy of the daily prophet in the air. Emilia, using her heightened wolf like reflexes, jumped up and snatched the paper in record time. Domino looked confused for a moment as to how she got the paper so fast.

Emilia began to read: "Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July,

widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault. that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day. "But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if

you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokes goblin this afternoon."

"Wow. i didn't know people could break into gringotts. Its supposed to be the safest bank ever." hannah said.

Emilia handed the copy back to dominique. "I was at diagon alley that day. So was Harry."

"You saw Harry Potter at diagon alley?" domino yelled "did you talk to him?"

"Yup. not for too long. We should befriend him guys. From what i've seen of him he looks nice. And not to mention it'd be cool". She left out the last part of what she was thinking, that he could be like a brother to her. She wished she had gotten to have that relationship with him. Sadly that wasn't the case.

The other girl kept quietly talking on domino's bed. Emilia got up and walked back to her own bed. She laid down (still in her clothes) and started to nod off, still thinking about The boy who lived and the break in at gringotts.

 **Hello my wonderful readers! So sorry i didn't post any chapters the last two days! It seems my predictions of not posting a chapter every day have already come true. I've been pretty sick and staying home from school these past few days so i've got some more chapters written for you. I've made this a longer chapter than the other ones to make up for the weekend of no posts. Thank you!**

 **And also i wanted to say, the chances of all four of Emilia's friends being in Gryffindor is probably unlikely but bear with me!**


	9. Chapter 9: the Nature of the Werewolf

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

Chapter 9: The Nature of the Werewolf

Seven friends sat at a table in the corner of the school library. Hannah, Dominique, Ammon, Michael, Emilia, Harry, and Ron. Emilia, who was sitting in the chair closest to the window, looked longingly across the grounds. It had been 2 weeks since the beginning of school. She had been able to bond more with her group of five. She had even befriended Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Now she sat, staring out the window and wondering about her furry problem. None of her friends now knew about her monthly transformations or wolf side. She was deeply confused about the recurring issue with Moonlet.

Her wolf side was always there. She had tried to ignore it for years and eventually she had to give up. But she was not about to allow it to take over. She heard of greyback and how he embraced his inner wolf. Now he was half and half, human and wolf. She didn't know exactly what that meant though. Now that Emilia thought about it she didn't know all that much about Werewolves, just the basics. 'Well' she thought 'i am in the library'. She stood up.

"Where are you going?" domino spoke. She was only half paying attention though. She seemed very absorbed in her transfiguration textbook. Most of her friends were too busy on homework to even notice she stood up. The only ones who seemed to notice were Dominique, Harry, and Hannah.

"I'm just gonna get a book" said Emilia. "I'll be back soon"

The young girl walked along a long and empty isle. Tall bookshelves were along either side of her. It was quiet. She reached down and touched a dusty shelf, trying to find the category of book she was looking for. To her relief she found the small sign that read 'Dark creatures'. 'No wonder no one is over here' she thought. 'No one is interested in dark creatures like werewolves.' she grabbed a few older looking books and walked to a secluded isle in the corner of the library. She didn't want anyone wondering why she was in the werewolf section.

She slid onto the dusty ground. It was so quiet! Perfect for reading and not being seen. And she was surrounded by shelves. It was like a little reading cove, it was cool. Emilia opened the newest looking book (which wasn't all that new) and began to read.

 _An introduction to werewolves._

 _The Werewolf has been around for thousands of years. No wizard has been able to mark the exact date one appeared or how it did. An individual will turn into a werewolf every month for the rest of their lives if they are of the werewolf nature. a person can become a werewolf by being born a werewolf, bitten by a werewolf, cursed by someone you have wronged in some way, and being given the power through sorcery. These are the only real ways._

 _Werewolves are dark creatures. Once the moon rises these hybrids lose control and thirst for human blood. They crave human flesh. Take caution when going out on a full moon, being devoured by such a dark beast is possibly one of the worst ways to go. And if they do not kill you you risk the chance of becoming a dark and dangerous killing-_

Emilia slammed the book shut. She was breathing hard and beginning to sweat. The book started off ok but… she didn't want to think about it.

The young girl went through two more books. She slammed the second book closed after it had said that "everyone cursed with the awful burden of lycanthropy is cursed to live life as an unwanted outcast in the wizarding world." what did everyone have against werewolves? A lone tear slid down her cheek. Emilia quickly wiped it away. She wasn't going to cry over some incompetent author who knows nothing about werewolves. She wasn't a monster!

Emilia opened the last book she had gotten and began to read. She turned to the 4th chapter called "embracing the inner wolf".

 _Embracing The Inner Wolf:_

 _All lycans share their mind with their wolf. All have names for their wolf (for wolf names turn to chapter 2). When a lycan 'embraces their wolf' it mean they allow access for the wolf part of their mind to take over. The wolf instincts are your first instincts. Instead of the wolf part of the mind being a minority, the human part is ruled by the wolf. The scientific name for these creatures is "loup-garou" which comes from old french meaning 'wolf man-wolf'_

 _Werewolves that have allowed their wolf to become incharge live in packs. They are packs of humans that look like wolves and act like a pack of wolves. Witches or Wizards that were born into packs like these are sometimes born with less magical ability than other wizards. To learn more about the relationships between pack members (both normal packs and 'loup-garou' Packs) turn to chapter 7_

Emilia stopped reading that chapter and turned to chapter seven:

 _Werewolf Packs:_

 _Werewolf packs work almost exactly like normal wolf packs, with some noticeable differences. Werewolves in a pack can sense if another member of their pack dies. For normal werewolves pack members don't have to be lycanthropes. Pack members can be family or close friends._

 _In werewolf packs there is always an alpha. A pack is not complete without an alpha. The alpha has control over every wolf in his pack._

 _Alpha of a Wolf Pack:_

 _The alpha, unlike normal wolf packs, is the leader. They can make rules for a pack. They usually don't see themselves as superior however, they almost always consider themselves equal. What the alpha says is mostly a strong suggestion. But when an alpha makes rules or gives orders what they say is law. If a wolf is to not follow orders or break rules the alpha gave then the alpha will give them, what Wizards who study werewolves call, a 'bite'. The alpha will bite the back of the wolf's neck where the wolf automatically goes limp. This bite can only be given in wolf form. The back of the wolf's neck is where wolves bite when claiming members of their pack. So when an alpha bites a pack member it's like a reminder to the wolf that he has an alpha and to obey. Note that it is very rare for a fully grown wolf to be bitten by an alpha. When wolves mature they outgrow the urge to break rules and boundaries._

 _Werewolf Pups:_

 _All the wolves in the pack assist in raising wolf pups. The parents of the cub automatically have a connection to their cub and can sense when they are dying, in danger, or hurt. As far as keeping a pup in line, the consequences for breaking a rule is simple. If they break a rule on accident they are watched over for a while by a member of the pack (usually a parent). If a pup intentionally breaks a big rule then they are bit. After they are bitten the are subdued for the rest of the transformation and all the next day while in human form. The consequence is effective but not given often. Wolf cubs remain cubs until the age of 17 (the age of which a wizard or witch becomes an adult.)_

Emilia stopped reading here. She knew most of this stuff. But some of this was new information to her. She looked out a window close around and realized it was already dark out! She still hadn't had her question answered though. Why was moonlet acting so weird when it wasn't all that close to a full moon? She opened the book back up and flipped to a random chapter.

 _Werewolf love_

 _All werewolves can feel when they find their soulmate. When they first meet their mate it may not be in wolf form. Or another wolf. If the lycan and soul mate are in wolf form then they will act on instinct, confronting each other. If they are pups they will likely become playmates until they come of age. If the lycan is not in wolf form however it will not be as simple. As soon they see their soul mate the wolf will let them know. The feeling has been described as your wolf side jumping or longing for the person. The soul mate in question will not have these same feelings if they are not a lycanthrope. They will eventually develope a crush but no wolf like sensations will happen. The jumping and clawing feeling will not go away until the lycan accepts the fact that this is their soul mate. Note that the wolf will never feel complete without their mate-_

The young werewolf dropped the book. It fell to the ground with a loud THUMP and dust flew up into the air. Emilia coughed a little from the dust. She couldn't think about dust or old books now. She couldn't think about anything but her new information. 'AMMON IS MY SOUL MATE!?'

 **Hello readers! This chapter was mostly information and some may find it boring to read but incase you wanted to know more about werewolves then here you go! Also i've added some facts of my own in there. My version of werewolf pack rules and such. Hope you enjoyed!**


	10. Chapter 10: Broomsticks

**Disclaimer: I don't own harry potter**

Chapter 10: Broomsticks

Five friends sat down at the gryffindor table. All being either exited or nervous. Ammon was shoveling bacon into his mouth, michael was reading a book about flying brooms, domino was nervously chatting with hannah and Emilia was only half paying attention to everything around her. She was crouched on the bench, staring at her plate, and thinking about both the upcoming flying lessons and what she found out last night. After she dropped the book about werewolves she had hastily put the books back and ran to join her friends. (well- ran until she was told off by madame Pince, the librarian) after that they had gone to the common room, finished up homework, and gone to bed.

Emilia shook her head and tried to focus on flying. She loved flying! She had a cleansweep seven broom of her own.

"Have you been flying before Emilia?" Emilia snapped back to reality. Dominique and hannah were looking at her.

"Yeah I have actually. I like flying." she answered.

"I'm done! Let's go guys i want to go fly!" ammon jumped up excitedly. The young werewolf sighed and looked down at her food. She'd eaten almost nothing.

Michael looked up from his book. "Actually we should probably get going. We have ten minutes to get down there." the five friends got up from the long table and began to walk out of the great hall.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

The morning sun shone down on the small group of first years. A slight breeze was in the air. Students bustled around the grounds. It was quite pleasant outside. Emilia had decided that she was gonna try and forget about the book and Ammon. She was going to enjoy flying lessons no matter what. She had been looking forward to this!

"Hey Emilia" hannah tapped her on the shoulder. They slowed down to talk. The other friends went a little ways ahead. "Are you ok?"

Emilia tried to hide her worried expression and put on a confused look. "Yes of course. What do you mean?"

Hannah however saw through her. "You've acted weird since last night. Since the library really."

Emilia looked down at her feet. "It's just something i've read in a book. It made me think. I'm fine, really." she nervously met her friends eyes, silently begging her not to ask anymore questions. Fortunately her friend seemed to notice.

Hannah and Emilia walked across the grass silently. Each were deep in thought. Emilia lifted her gaze from the ground to where her other friends were up ahead. "Uh oh. Malfoy is with them." she groaned.

Hannah's head snapped upward in record time. "Oh no." was all she said. Emilia couldn't help but notice that she looked worried. Of course Malfoy was rude but she didn't fear him. Funny enough it seemed as though hannah did.

They sped towards the group of friends ahead. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, were blocking the path for Ammon, Michael, and Dominique.

"I doubt a muggle born such as her can even hold a broom." malfoy taunted.

Ammon stepped in front of Domino. "She can fly better than you can Malfoy. back off."

Emilia was about to step out In front of Ammon but instead Hannah pushed in ahead. The young werewolf watched as her friend righted her posture and brushed herself off. She gave off a powerful aura when she looked him in the eye, An almost frightening feel in the air. "Cousin draco. Good to see you are doing well" she politely smiled and did a half curtsy.

Draco straightened up as if on autopilot. "Cousin Hannah, How nice to see you and your _gryffindor_ friends. Mother will be displeased to hear of your new house status. And you Michael, Ravenclaw would have been a better option than Gryffindor." he said smugly then did a half bow.

To say Emilia was confused would be an understatement. She stared in a mix of confusion and amazement at the blond haired first year.

Michael straightened up to, effectively making himself give off the same powerful aura that hannah was. "The hat decided I had many qualities of a true gryffindor. I come from a long line of Ravenclaws and Gryffindors. I have made my family proud." As he finished malfoy scowled.

"I'm sure Cousin Michael that _your_ family may be, although i'm not so sure about Cousin Hannah's."

Now Hannah scowled "i'm quite sure that's none of your buisness Cousin. Now we must be going."

Malfoy smirked triumphantly. He had won the battle of words.

"What happened?" emilia whispered. That seemed to get draco's attention onto her.

"As for you, Lupin, it wasn't much of a shock to see you placed into _that_ house." he sneered. "What other house would let in a filthy Half Breed?" he smiled evilly. Emilia didn't know what to think! She paled and her hair turned a deep red.

"i-I don't know what you're t-talking about Malfoy." she stuttered. Had he honestly just said that she was a half breed? And in front of everyone? What would she do? All eyes were on her now.

"You have all the foolish qualities of a gryffindor, Lupin." he flashed that evil smile again. "Showing house spirit? Your hair is bright red"

Emilia looked him in the eye. There was no way she was going to let him win this one. Forget the whole 'half breed' thing. "Yeah look at that- i guess it is red. I really like your hair though, Malfoy. How did you get it too stick out of your nostrils like that?"

Malfoy took a step back. He looked surprised she recovered so quickly. "Filthy half breed". With that the three slytherins turned and stalked towards the designated area for flying lessons.

Emilia fist pumped the air. Victory! But no one else was celebrating. She spun around to face her friends who were now all staring at her in shock. "What? Do you think i went to far? I only said one insult. He earned it." her confident smile faltered a little.

"Emilia- what did he mean by 'half breed'?" michael asked seriously.

"Oh" the young werewolf's face reddened. Her clammy hands nervously shifted into her pockets. "Well you see…" she fumbled for a possible excuse. Her empty brain seemed to give up as far as excuses went. "Um he was just…" a single bead of sweat dripped down her forehead. "I don't know what he's talking about" she finished lamely. The girl mentally facepalmed. There was no way in merlin they were going to believe that!

Michael narrowed his eyes suspiciously, Ammon seemed confused, Dominique didn't even know what Malfoy called her, and Hannah… Emilia couldn't tell what hannah was thinking. Hannah was unreadable. But something in her dull blue eyes told Emilia that the girl knew.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

The young werewolf wiped a sweaty palm onto her jeans in hopes of getting rid of all signs of her previous nervousness. That was too close. Thankfully none of her friends asked any further questions, none of them needed too. They could probably tell she was lying to them. 'Don't think like that!' Emilia scolded herself in her head 'only hannah and maybe michael suspect something'. But she felt horrible for lying to them. she knew she had to. It was to keep them safe after all. Everyone would hate them for hanging out with a werewolf! And they would hate her! But she wanted to fit in so bad...

It was selfish. Selfish to keep them in the dark. Selfish to lie to them just so she'd have friends. She was selfish. And she hated herself for it. But she couldn't tell them she was a... monster. No one in their right mind would take kindly to the fact that she- a _werewolf_ \- had been hanging out with them.

"Well what are we all waiting for?" madame hooch barked. She had short grey hair and yellow eyes like a hawk. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Comon hurry up!" Everyone snapped to attention and hurried to get by a broom. All the Brooms were old and had twigs sticking up at all angles on the ends. "Right hand over the broom." she called from up front "and yell UP!"

Choruses of "up's" could be heard from Emilia's fellow students. Her broom jumped straight into her hand, but it was one of the few that did. She noticed that Ammon's and Harry's came to them. Hermione's just rolled over and neville's stayed firmly on the ground. Dominique's was the same as neville's. There was a waver in her voice as she called for the broom that clearly meant she would rather stay on the ground.

Madame Hooch then showed them how to mount a broom without sliding off the end. She walked around the rows correcting students grips. Emilia smirked when she told Malfoy he'd been doing it wrong for years.

"Now when i blow my whistle i want you to kick off from the ground, hover a few feet, then come back down. Ready...3...2...-" but she never got to three. Neville, nervous and jumpy and afraid of being left behind, kicked off from the ground early and shot upward. 12 feet, 16 feet, 20 feet up he went, his white face staring, terrified, down at the ground. "Come back boy!" Madame hooch yelled.

Neville gasped as his grip of the broom slipped. He slowly as if in slow motion slipped sideways and fell to the ground. THWUMP! He landed the the ground hard and Emilia swore she heard something crack.

Students rushed over and quickly surrounded him. Emilia heard Madame hooch mutter "a broken wrist… it's ok boy up you get." she helped neville up. Then she spun around to face the rest of them. "I'm going to take him to the hospital wing. If any of you leave the ground you'll be out of hogwarts before you can say 'quidditch'".

As soon as they were out of earshot Malfoy started laughing. "Did you see his face, the big oaf?" soon the rest of the slytherins joined in.

"Shut up malfoy." snapped Emilia. She stepped to the front and glared at the blond first year.

"Ooh, sticking up for longbottom?" Pansy Parkinson, a hard faced slytherin spoke up. "Never thought you'd be into fat little crybabies, Lupin."

"Look!" Malfoy Darted forward and picked something up from out of the grass. "Its that thing Longbottom's gran sent him" the Remembrall glittered in the sun.

"Give it here Malfoy" harry said quietly. Everyone stopped to watch.

"No. i think i'll leave it somewhere for him to find. How about… up a tree?" Malfoy hopped onto his broom and took off. He stopped around 20 feet up. "Come and get it, Potter!"

Harry grabbed his broom. "Harry no! Madame Hooch told us not to fly! You'll get us in trouble!" but Harry ignored her. He grasped his broom tightly and it shot upward to Malfoy's height. Draco had to fly sideways in order to not get hit by Harry.

Emilia's eyes widened. Harry didn't know how to fly! He hadn't ever been on a broom before. While she was sure he wasn't going to kill himself she still wasn't going to let him go up there alone! Emilia grabbed her own broom tightly in hand. But her actions didn't go unnoticed.

"Emilia!" Domino whispered frantically. The young werewolf sighed. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Helping Harry." she whispered back. She mounted her broom. Ammon and michael were staring at her like she was crazy.

"Hannah?" Dominique looked to her friend for help. Dominique sent hannah a look that clearly meant 'do something!'.

Hannah faced Emilia and smiled "go help Harry"

Emilia resisted the urge to laugh at the face dominique made. She flew upward before domino could protest. "Why hello harry" Emilia smiled as she turned to hover beside Harry.

"Two to one Malfoy" harry said confidently "no crabbe and Goyle to save your neck"

Malfoy seemed to notice the same thing. "Catch!" he threw the glass object as hard as he could.

Immediately The two gryffindors took off toward the glittering glass ball. Emilia and harry were side by side. She flew up a little to give him more room. Just before they hit the castle wall Emilia made a sharp turn mid air and watched harry catch the remembrall. The students below cheered. The young werewolf shot a fist into the air and beamed.

"MR. POTTER, MISS LUPIN!"

Emilia's heart sank faster than she'd dived for the remembrall. Professor McGonagall was marching toward them. The two got to their feet trembling. The Professor's eyes flashed with fury. "How dare- you could have broken your neck- never in all my-"

"But it wasn't their fault professor-"

"Quiet miss patil"

"But professor-"

"Be quiet mr. weasley. Potter, Lupin, follow me. Now." she spun around and started walking briskly toward the castle. Emilia's throat tightened. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest. This was it. She was going to be expelled! She had barely made it two weeks and she'd be packing her bags now. 'Great going genius. Youve really done it now' something in her brain said sarcastically. She jogged to keep up with McGonagall, who had yet to even look back at them.

Emilia remembered the sniggers of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. Oh she wanted to punch them so bad right now… but she was rather glad her hair hadn't changed color yet. That would have been hard to explain to everyone at once.

Up the steps of the marble staircase and still McGonagall didn't say anything to them. Maybe she was taking them to dumbledore? She could imagine it now, going on the hogwarts express, home. What would Mooney think if she showed up on the doorstep. Oh merlin what would Mooney say? He'd be so disappointed!

McGonagall opened up a door to a classroom. "Professor Flitwick, may I borrow wood for a minute please?"

Emilia swallowed hard. What was wood? Or more importantly what was she going to do with said wood? But Wood turned out to be a person, not an object. A burly gryffindor 5th year. Wood looked confused as to why he was here.

"Follow me you three" the Professor led them into an empty classroom. Well empty from all except Peeves, who was writing bad words on the chalkboard. "Out peeves" McGonagall barked. The poltergeist threw the chalk into a bin with a loud clank and swooped out, cursing under his breath.

"Potter, Lupin, this is Wood. Wood- i've found you a new chaser and seeker!" Woods expression changed from confusion to excitement

"Really professor?"

"Absolutely" McGonagall said crisply. They are naturals. Potter caught this in a fifty foot dive. Charlie weasley couldn't have done it. And Lupin was right on his tail." Wood was looking as if all his dreams had come true.

Emilia couldn't believe her ears. Chaser? Her?! She must be dreaming! She had only dreamed of being on the house quidditch team! And she wasn't being expelled after all! She glanced at harry. To say Harry looked confused would be an understatement. He didn't even know what a chaser or seeker was did he?  
"Ever seen a game of quidditch?" wook asked them.

"Oliver is the gryffindor team quidditch captain." McGonagall explained to them.

Oliver wood started inspecting harry. "Just the build for a seeker too. Light- speedy- we'll have to get them good brooms Professor. Nimbus two thousand or a cleansweep seven i'd say."

"I expect you to hear you two training hard, or i might just change my mind about not punishing you." she said sternly. Then she suddenly smiled. "Your father would be proud, Mr. Potter. He was an excellent quidditch player himself."

Emilia could only smile. She had lost all ability to speak. She would have to write Moony for sure. Chaser for the gryffindor quidditch team! Her!

 **Hello readers! Sorry it took so long to post a new chapter! I hope to post another chapter soon. But hey Emilia is now on the quidditch team! How will her first match go?**


	11. Chapter 11: What's a Wizards Duel?

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing**

Chapter 11: What's a wizards duel?

"You're joking!" Ron stared at Harry and Emilia in shock. He had a forkful of food halfway into his mouth that he seemed to have forgotten about.

"Seeker? And chaser? Two first years? No way!" ammon started at them in amazement. His perfect smile on show. Emilia couldn't help but grin at him.

"I can't believe you two. Madame Hooch told us to stay on the ground- yet up you two go. And here you are! On the quidditch team!" Dominique grumbled. She still looked miffed from earlier but most of her anger was gone.

"Yes but Wood wants to keep it a secret." Harry said.

Emilia turned her attention to the entrance of the great hall where Fred and George Weasley were currently arriving. The twins spotted Harry and Emilia and hurried over.

"Well done" George said in a low voice. "Wood told us. Were on the team too- beaters"

"I tell you we'll win the quidditch cup this year. We haven't won since charlie left but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good Harry. Wood was practically skipping when he told us." Fred said in the same hushed tone.

"We should probably go. Lee Jordan reckons he's found another secret passage." George said

"I bet it's the one behind Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week". They quickly turned around and left, only for a different set of faces to show up.

"Enjoying your last meal before you get sent back to those muggles Potter?" Malfoy sneered- Crabbe and Goyle right by his side.

"I see you've gotten your courage back now that you're on the ground and have your little friends with you." said Harry coolly.

"I'd take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight if you want. A midnight duel. What's the matter? Ever heard of a wizard's duel, Potter?"

All the friends stared- deadly silent. All eyes were on Harry and Draco.

"Of course he has," Ron said wheeling around. "I'm his second, who's yours"

Draco looked at his cronies, sizing them up. "Crabbe." he said. "At midnight alright? In the trophy room. It's always unlocked."

Once they left Emilia felt herself let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "No way" she whispered in a tone that only people with werewolf hearing could pick up.

Harry looked at her and Ron. "what's a wizards duel? And what do you mean you're my second?"

"I'm there to take over in case you die" said Ron casually, getting started at last on his cold the look on Harry's face, he added quickly, "But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway."

"Can I come?" Emilia smiled as if christmas had come early. "I've never seen a wizards duel! I doubt it will be anything like a real duel, since we're only first years, but it would be so cool! And I wanted to sneak out at some point anyway."

Harry looked apprehensive, Ron just shrugged, Ammon smiled and shook his head, and Domino frowned at them.

"I can't believe you guys." dominique said. She gathered her book bag and stood up. "I'm going to go find Michael and hannah. They said they went to the library." she then turned and walked away while mumbling something about rule breakers and dueling at midnight.

Harry and Ron continued talking for a little about the duel. Emilia hoped she could go. She wanted to sneak out at some point and go outside. The young girl recalled some of the times she would sneak outside as a kid. Sitting on the grass by the lake at night, the cool breeze making the grass wave under her. the moon's reflection on the water was breathtaking. She could only imagine how the grounds would look like at night. But even if she wasn't going outside she would still be going _out._ Which was something she was sorely missing right now. A bit of freedom. There were too many schedules to follow, too many rules to obey, to many classes to stress about. Not enough freedom.

"Excuse me"

Ammon, Emilia, Harry, and Ron looked up to see Hermione Granger frowning disapprovingly at them.

"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying — "

"I bet you could" ron muttered.

" — and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you."

"It's really none of your business" Harry said.

"Good bye" said Emilia

Hermione huffed and walked away. Emilia felt kinda bad for the girl. Hermione had no close friends, and they were kind of mean to her. Oh well she'd have to think about it later. For now it was time to head back to the common room and find a way to come to the duel with Ron and Harry. She was going to sneak out if it's the last thing she did.


	12. Chapter 12: Too Close For Comfort

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

Chapter 12:

Emilia lay on her bed while staring up at the ceiling. She had on an old pair of skinny jeans and a dark blue sweatshirt along with of old black trainers. Her sandy brown curls were up in a tight ponytail. While normally she would be in pajamas and trying to sleep; she was instead plotting. Scheming if you will. How was she gonna get downstairs and get Harry and Ron to let her come? She looked around her fellow first year Gryffindor girls. Domino would occasionally say something in her sleep. She look peaceful right now. Hannah tossed and turned avery so often. She had a pained expression as if experiencing a nightmare. Parvati and Lavender were sleeping fine. And Hermione…. Emilia's heart seemed to temporarily stop. Then it began pounding in her ears a full force. Where is Hermione? 'Oh no!' the girl clenched her fists ' if she's telling off Harry and Ron…" she didn't finish the thought and instead let out a low growl. Emilia jumped up out of bed as quietly. She pocketed her wand and headed for the door. She really dislike Hermione Granger at times.

She quietly tiptoed down the steps; careful as to not wake someone up. What she saw at the bottom made her fists clench once again. Hermione was fighting quietly with Harry and Ron. who did she think she was!? The young werewolf swallowed her anger. Werewolves could have a nasty temper closer to the full moon and the last thing she needed was to get kicked out of Hogwarts for tackling a student. "Why are you down here?" Emilia let out an outraged hiss. She locked eyes with hermione.

"You too?" the other girl glared at her. She faced Ron "I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped, "Percy — he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this."

"Comon" ron pushed open the portrait hole for Harry and Emilia. This was easier than emilia thought!

Hermione wasn't going to give up that easily.

She followed Ron through the portrait hole, hissing at them like an angry goose.

"Don't you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves, I don't want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells."

"Go away"

"All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so — "

But they never found out what they were. When hermione turned back to the portrait to get in she realized that the fat lady had left. "What am i going to do?!" she said shrilly

"That's your problem" Ron rolled his eye and turned around to keep going.

"So i get to come with you then?" Emilia smiled

Harry gave a small smile. "I guess so". They turned to walk to the trophy room when hermione Ran up to them.

"I'm coming with you"

Emilia sighed. "Whatever. Fine."

"No you're not!" Ron whirled around to face her

"Well i'm not going to wait around here for filch to catch me!"

"Oh it doesn't matter let her come!" Emilia snapped at them. The two fellow Gryffindors saw her eyes flash amber and decided to silence themselves. Hermione gave her a curious look but said nothing about her eyes. For Emilia that was a close call. She needed to watch her temper or she could give something away.

The first years walked for al little before they ran into none other than Neville Longbottom

" Oh thank goodness you guys found me! I've been out here for hours because i forgot the password!"

"Be quiet Neville! The passwords 'pig snout' but it won't do you any good now, the fat lady's' gone off somewhere."

"How's your arm?" harry asked

"Fine. Madame Pomfrey mended it in about a minute" Neville said showing them his arm

"Look Nevile" Emilia whispered "we've got to go somewhere, we'll see you later-"

"Don't leave me!" neville frantically scrambled to his feet

"Neville-"

"The Bloody Baron's been past twice already" he went pale as he said this.

Ron glared furiously at hermione and neville. "Fine but if any of you get us caught i won't rest until i've learned that curse of the Bogies Quirrel was talking about, and use it on you"

Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell ron exactly how to use the curse of the Bogies. Thankfully harry put up his hand to silence them and beckoned them all forward.

They tiptoed along the corridors striped with moonlight from the high windows. At every turn Emilia expected to see Filch or mrs Norris. But they were lucky.

They silently snuck into the trophy room. The room was lined with glass crystal trophy cases with bronze, silver, gold, and platinum cups.

Harry scanned the room. "I don't think they are here yet"

"It's late" Ron said "maybe they've chickened out?"

Emilia quietly sniffed around the room. No other scents besides their friends. "No one is here."

"How can you tell? What if they're hiding?" Neville whispered

"No one is here Neville. Im positive." Emilia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Then her sensitive ears began to pick up on something- **footsteps!** Two quiet pairs of footsteps were quickly approaching. And her nose told her one of the footsteps belonged to a small animal… Panic gripped Emilia's heart. "Guys, Filch and Mrs Norris are coming!" she whispered frantically.

Thankfully no one seemed to question how she knew that. They all swept towards the other exit of the trophy room. Nevilles robes just barely disappeared out the door before Filch came in.  
"Sniff around my sweet" filch muttered "they might be lurking in a corner"

So someone must have ratted them out! Emilia cursed under her breath. It must have been malfoy! Him and his cronies were the only ones that knew about the duel.

"This way" harry mouthed and motioned them to come closer. They crept down the long corridor filled with suits of armor. Neville, who was shaking in fear, tripped over his robes. Ron grabbed his wrist to catch him but ut wasn't enough. Both Neville and Ron came crashing down and knocked over a large suit of armor. The clashing and banging noise was enough to wake the whole castle!

"RUN!" Harry shouted. The first years ran for all it was worth. None of them looked back to see if Filch was following. They ducked into one corridor and out another. None of them knew where they were going. Finally they stopped to catch their breath. Emilia recognized this place to be the charms corridor. They has Flitwick's class down here. This place was miles away from the trophy room.

To the gryffindor's dismay Peeves came floating out of a classroom ahead of them. "Oooh looky here! Ickle firsties out of bed! Tut tut tut" he cackled

"SHHH! Peeves please move we have to get back to the tower!" emilia pleaded with the poltergeist. She knew better than to yell at Peeves the Poltergeist.

Peeves let out a cackle of delight

"Shut it Peeves you'll get us thrown out!" Hermione squeaked.

"I should tell filch I should" Peeves said in a saintly voice. His eyes glinted mischievously. "It's for your own good you know"

"Get out of our way" Ron swiped angrily at him. Bad idea.

"FIRST YEARS OUT OF BED!" Peeves screeched "FIRST YEARS IN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"

Once again the first years sprinted along the halls, not looking where they were going. Emilia swore she would get that poltergeist for this. They ran up the stairs, down a hall, and SMACK into a locked door.

"What do we do now?!" ron panicked.

Hermione pulled out her wand and pointed it at the door "alohomora" she whispered. The door clicked and they swept inside.

The five students leaned against the door, panting and wheezing from the run. "I hate that darn poltergeist." Emilia muttered angrily.

"How did you know Filch and mrs Norris were coming?" hermione turned to Emilia, a curious/ suspicious look in her eyes.

Emilia did her best to look innocent and confused. "What do you mean? I just heard them coming"

"None of us heard them until they were in the room. How did you hear them?" she asked again.

"Ah just leave it hermione. She heard them coming that's all" Ron said.

"And harry" hermione looked at him now. "You realize he tricked you? Draco Malfoy must have told Filch that he heard someone was going to sneak into the trophy room."

"Imma hex malfoy." Emilia grumbled.

"Shhh filch is at out there!" Harry whispered. They put their ears to the door.

"Tell me where they went peeves. Quickly"

"Not if you don't say please!"

"I don't have time for this!"

"Nope! Shant say nothing if you don't say please!" peeves said in his annoying sing song voice.

"Fine. please."

"NOTHING! Ha ha told you i wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please!" he cackled

"He doesn't know the door is unlocked. He won't come in here" Harry whispered. "Get off Neville!" harry snapped and turned around as Neville kept tugging on his sleeve. "What!?"

They turned around and saw exactly what neville was trying to tell them. A huge animal was growling above them. A giant dog with three heads, the kind of thing you see in books, was drooling on them, its teeth bared. For a second Emilia thought she'd stepped into a nightmare. This was too much. She looked around the room and realized it wasn't a room at all. It was a corridor, the third floor corridor that was forbidden, and this was why. It was three heads, which meant three noses, three mouths, and six eyes, wich were all staring at them. She knew the only reason the were alive was that they had taken it by surprise and it could sense there was something wrong with one of the students. Her werewolf status affected other creatures, she knew that. But it seemed to quickly be getting over that. Emilia grasped for the doorknob. Between Filch and death she'd take Filch anyday. They all fell backward out of the doorway and slammed the door shut. Filch must have hurried off the search somewhere else because they didn't see him anywhere. Not that they cared. They were to focused on running back to the gryffindor tower.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

The students wandered up the steps to the dorm. They were all still shocked. None of them could believe what they saw. Why would they keep such a horrible beast inside the castle?

"What were they thinking keeping an animal like that in a school?" ron almost yelled

"You weren't using your eyes were you? You didn't see what it was standing on" hermione said in the same bossy tone.

"The floor?" harry guessed "I wasn't looking at it's feet I was to focused on its three heads!"

"It was standing on a trap door. It was clearly there to guard something." she rolled her eyes. "I hope you're pleased with yourselves. You've almost got us killed- or worse- expelled. Now if you don't mind, i'm going to bed."

After a few minutes of silence emilia looked up at Harry and Ron. "um… goodnight then?" and with that she turned and walked into her dorm.

Emilia scanned the dark room. Hermione's bed curtains were tightly closed and everyone else was still asleep.

"Your back."

Everyone except Hannah apparently.

"Hey." Emilia mumbled. "You're up."

"I woke up, couldn't get back to sleep, then realized both you and hermione were gone." she explained simply. "What happened?"

Emilia looked at hermione's bed uneasily. She wasn't sure what the girl would say if she was to tell the others.

Hannah, seeing her friends inner struggle, invited her onto her bed. They both sat cross legged on the top of her bed sheets. Hannah put up a silencing charm around the bed. When Emilia looked at her with an impressed expression Hannah explained "I've learned it years parents didn't care if we used magic. Ministry couldn't sense it because it was a wizard's house. And it… came in handy quite a bit in the past."

Emilia proceeded to tell her friend all about the night and what happened, not missing a single detail. After she was done they sat in silence. Both let out a yawn but were too lazy to climb into their beds. The young werewolf started to realize just how tired she was. Her heavy eyelids started to droop. She sensed Hannah was feeling tired too. Finally she surrendered to her body's need for sleep and let her eyelids slid closed.

Both girls had fallen asleep on Hannah's bed. No blankets or pillows. And Emilia was still in her clothes. But both were happily enjoying eachothers company. The bright moonlight shone down on the sleeping gryffindors. Both peacefully slumbering, both curled up.

 **Hello readers! Sorry this has taken so long to post I meant to put this up sooner. Hopefully the next one will be out soon. Enjoy :)**


	13. Chapter 13: The Lone Cub

**Disclaimer: same as the last chapters. I don't own Harry Potter and never will**

Chapter 13: The Lone Cub

Emilia shivered on her bed. She had a blanket wrapped around her, a book in one hand, and a goblet with the remains of a wolfsbane potion in the other. She tried to read but no matter how hard she studied the pages her mind just wouldn't cooperate. Finally she gave up and tossed the book to the side. Emilia put the goblet on the floor and lay on her back. In all honesty she was terrified. Her first transformation in the shrieking shack was tonight. Moony had said in his last letter that it wasn't the nicest looking place but she would get used to it. He also said everything would be ok but Emilia was starting to doubt that right now. What if someone tried to follow her? Or someone stumbled upon the passage while she was transforming. She would keep her human mind while she was a wolf, but how effective would the potion be really? And she'd be away from her dad/alfa wolf. That would be hard for moonlet but also for her. She had never transformed without Moony. To say Emilia Lupin was scared would be an understatement.

She got up off the bed and look at herself in the mirror. Her normally grey-blue eyes were amber and bloodshot. Her hair was tangled and matted (though that would be easy to fix). Her gryffindor robes were wrinkled. All in all she looked awful and sick. She shook her head from side to side and watched as her hair righted itself.

She heard two sets of footsteps coming up the stairs outside the dorm. Her smelled two people. One smelled of perfume and strawberries, which she recognized as Dominique, and one smelled of licorice and salt, which she recognized was Hannah. Sure enough as the door swung open her friends hannah and dominique stood in the doorway.

"Oh Emilia you look awful!" Dominique rushed over to her once she caught sight of her friend.

"Wow thanks domino, I try" she said dryly

"I've been telling you to get to the hospital wing for a few days now."

"Yes. I've thought about it and I guess you're right. I should go." Emilia started to head for the door.

"Want us to walk you there? We don't mind." hannah said sympathetically.

"um nah it's alright. I can walk myself there." she spun around and quickened her pace to the door.

"Hope you feel better Emilia!" dominique called behind her.

Emilia closed the door behind her as she exited the dorm and breathed a sigh of relief. How was keeping something away from people so hard? Well she couldn't wait any longer. She needed to get down to the hospital wing and go with madame pomfrey fast. The sun was setting quicker than Emilia would like.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

The shack was dusty and old. There were creaky floorboards and weird damp and mossy areas. And it was very dark. She didn't have a problem with the dark. Her eyes were good for seeing in the dark.

"Alright Ms Lupin, i'm sure you'll be alright for tonight. I'll come and get you in the morning so don't worry about trying to make it back to the castle. And just so you know, the upstairs bedroom is a good place for a transformation." the mediwitch smiled and made her way back to the trap door.

Emilia swallowed hard. She moved her shaking legs towards the stairs. As she climbed the staircase moaned under the weight of a human being. She navigated her way into a dark bedroom up the stairs. A fireplace at one side, a few old and ripped chairs, a four poster bed that look like it would collapse any minute, and a small window on a far wall that had a good view of the sun set. She sat down on the dust covered ground and let out a pained sigh. Her limbs ached, her head hurt, she was exhausted and all too awake at the same time. But she had taken wolfsbane potions for the last week. Moony hadn't. Remus wasn't able to take a wolfsbane potion. And he had no pack members with him. 'I'm alone also' Moonlet reminded her.

A wave of pain hit the young girl hard, causing her to double over. She lifted her head to look out the far window. Sure enough the full moon could be seen over the horizon. The transformation had started.

Her bones cracked and shifted inside her. Her ears shifted to the top of her head. She felt nauseas and cold and she hurt. Another wave of pain hit the small frame, causing emilia so cry out. She was in agony! How could this possibly hurt so much? White, blinding pain surged inside her. She screamed so loud she was sure all of Hogwarts could hear her. Beads of sweat ran down her forehead, her whole body shook, she closed her eyes tightly. And yet this wasn't as bad as usual. Usually there were worse transformations than others, some were worse than others, some were better than average. But this was different. Although she was in pain, the pain was numbed. 'The effects of the potion' she thought.

Then the torture subsided and started to slip away. She looked down at her furry paws and smiled. Moonlet wasn't in control! This was amazing! While Moonlet was definitely there, and didn't like to be ignored, Emilia was in control! She got up and pranced around the now tiny looking room. Maybe she could go outside? No. but surely it would be ok… no one would ever know… and she'd only be in the forest…

She sighed. Maybe another day. For now she would sleep the night away. Sleeping seems to make the night go faster. The sandy brown wolf laid its head down on ints paws and closed its amber eyes. Slowly its breathing evened out and the young pup fell asleep. Sadly the rest of the night only had nightmares and loneliness in store for the cub.


	14. Chapter 14: Quidditch Lessons

**Disclaimer: check the last few chapters. I still own nothing.**

Chapter 14: Quidditch Lessons

Emilia lay on her back on the dusty floor of the shrieking shack bedroom. Her hair tangled and matted, her eyes closed with heavy bags under them, her ghastly pale face and scars covering her arms were very noticeable. Although her eyes were closed and her breathing even she was not asleep. She had trained herself, over the years of transformations, to control her breathing and lay still so she wouldn't throw up. But today she noticed, to her delight, that the potion masked those symptoms as well. She didn't feel great but she felt better than usual. She slowly sat up and slipped a hoodie and sweatpants on. As she reached for her socks she heard madame Pomfrey coming up the stairs.

"Good morning ms. Lupin. How did the night go?" the mediwitch asked as the started to survey Emilia for any gashes or bruises.

"Better than usual thank to the potion." she said shakily. "May I go to class today?"

"Ms. lupin you are still recovering from a werewolf transformation. I want to make sure you are well enough for class first."

Emilia wanted to argue, she really did. But at that moment she decided it was best not to fight her. She definitely didn't have the strength to either. Madame Pomfrey helped the young girl to her feet and the started slowly walking out the door.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

It was lunch time when Emilia was finally released from the hospital wing. By then Emilia had decided she did not like the place. She didn't like someone fussing over her about something she should be used to by now. Now the first year girl walked down the stairs to the great hall.

Once she sat down she was filled in on the mornings events. The possible contents behind the trap door the dog was guarding, Hermione's silent treatment to them, and most importantly, Harry's new nimbus two thousand! Emilia had told Moony and he was going to send her her broom soon. She had a cleansweep seven. Harry now had a nimbus two thousand! He needed a broom, Emilia new that, and she had a broom. But she couldn't help but feel a little jealous of him.

After Dinner she raced up to the common room with Harry, Ron, Hannah, Dominique, Michael, and Ammon. Harry opned his package with the broom in it and everyone gasped.

"It's amazing!" Ammon Gasped. He looked like someone just told him christmas came early.

"When are you going to try it!?" Michael's eyes lit up a lot like Ammon's

"Ok, that's pretty cool" Domino smiled

"Wow" ron sighed as he ran his hand over the handle

"You gonna use it tonight at our private mini lesson with Wood?" Emilia asked. He marveled at the broom. It was sleek and shiny and looked light. She had never touched one, only seen it in diagon alley.

" so I suppose that's your award for breaking rules?" and angry voice came from behind them. Emilia spun around and saw hermione stomping towards them. She was looking disapprovingly at the broom in Harry's hand.

"I thought you weren't talking to us" said Harry

"Yes don't stop now" Ron said, "it's doing us so much good"

Hermione marched away with her nose high in the air.

"What's that all about?" michael asked

Harry, Ron, and Emilia filled the others in on the story with the three headed dog. By the end of their tale, the others were looking at them with mixtures of shock, excitement, and confusion.

"Well Harry we'd better get going." Emilia stood up. She swayed a bit due to her lack of strength from last night. "I definitely don't want to be late. And if we get there early you can try out that broom" she smiled.

Harry smiled at the idea. He stood up and joined her in walking out of the portrait hole. After they said goodbye to their friends the walked in comfortable silence. Emilia thought about Harry. The boy who lived. She was friends with Harry Potter! She would have been almost like cousins/siblings if things were different. Maybe she should tell him? This would be a good a time as any…. Not now. After practice maybe.

The stood in the middle of the quidditch pitch, staring in wonder at the huge pitch. The seats were raised so the audience could see what was happening. At either end

of the field were three golden poles with hoops on the end. They reminded Emilia of the little plastic sticks Muggle children blew bubbles through, except that they were fifty feet high.

Too eager to fly, Harry mounted his broom and started to soar around the edges of the field. Emilia watched in amazement at the speed of the broom and the skills Harry possessed. He was a natural! The young girl quickly grabbed one of the school brooms and joined him. She raced after harry but wasn't quite fast enough. She instead settled for circling around the hoops.

"Hey, Potter, Lupin, Come down!" wood called from below. He had a large wooden crate under one arm.

"Very nice," said Wood, his eyes glinting. "I see what McGonagall meant... you really are a natural, Potter. I'm just going to teach you the rules this evening, then you'll be joining team practice three times a week." He opened the crate. Inside were four different-sized balls. Emilia already knew the rules to quidditch. This would be easy.

"Right," said Wood. "Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers."

"Three Chasers," Harry repeated, as Wood took out a bright red ball

about the size of a soccer ball.

"This ball's called the Quaffle," said Wood. "The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Lupin, that's your job. Follow me?"

"The Chasers throw the Quaffle and put it through the hoops to score,"

Harry recited. "So - that's sort of like basketball on broomsticks with

six hoops, isn't it?"

"What's basketball?" said Wood curiously.

"Never mind," said Harry quickly. Emilia stifled a laugh.

"Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper -I'm Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring."

"Three Chasers, one Keeper," said Harry, who seemed determined to remember it all. "And they play with the Quaffle. Okay, got that. So what are they for?" He pointed at the three balls left inside the box.

"I'll show you now," said Wood. "Take this." He handed Harry and Emilia two small clubs, a bit like a short baseball bat.

"Good luck" Emilia whispered to Harry

"I'm going to show you what the Bludgers do," Wood said. "These two are the Bludgers." He showed Harry two identical balls, jet black and slightly smaller than the red Quaffle. "Stand back," Wood warned them. He bent down and freed one of the Bludgers.

At once, the black ball rose high in the air and then pelted straight at Harry's face. Harry swung at it with the bat to stop it from breaking his nose, and sent it zigzagging away into the air - it zoomed around their heads and then shot at Wood, who dived on top of it and managed to pin it to the ground.

"See?" Wood panted, forcing the struggling Bludger back into the crate and strapping it down safely. "The Bludgers rocket around, trying to knock players off their brooms. That's why you have two Beaters on each team - the Weasley twins are ours - it's their job to protect their side from the Bludgers and try and knock them toward the other team. So - think you've got all that?"

"Three Chasers try and score with the Quaffle; the Keeper guards the goal posts; the Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team," Harry reeled off.

"Very good," said Wood.

"Er - have the Bludgers ever killed anyone?" Harry asked

"Not in hogwarts." Emilia smiled. Harry tried to sound offhand but miserably failed.

"We've had a couple of broken jaws but nothing worse than that. Now, the last member of the team is the Seeker. That's you. And you don't have to worry about the Quaffle or the Bludgers unless they crack your head open."

'Real comforting, Wood' emilia thought.

"Don't worry, the Weasleys are more than a match for the Bludgers - I mean, they're like a pair of human Bludgers themselves." Wood reached into the crate and took out the fourth and last ball. Compared with the Quaffle and the Bludgers, it was tiny, about the size of a large walnut. It was bright gold and had little fluttering silver wings.

"This," said Wood, "is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see. It's the Seeker's job to catch it. You've got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, and Quaffle to get it before the other team's Seeker, because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win. That's why Seekers get fouled so much. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so it can go on for ages - I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep. "Well, that's it - any questions?"

Emilia and Harry shook their heads no.

" we won't practice with the snitch tonight. Too dark. But we can practice with these" Wood held up a bag of normal golf balls. For a while they practiced with the golf balls, wood and Emilia threw them up into the air while harry tried to catch them. Harry caught every single one of them that they threw.

Once it was too dark to practice Wood sent them off to go back to their dormitories. As they walked back they talked about quidditch and laughed about practices. That's when the thought came to Emilia's mind.

"Hey Harry?" she asked seriously.

"Hmm?"

"Ummm…" how was she gonna bring this up? "What do you know about your parents? Lily and James?"

Harry was silent for a few moments. He seemed to contemplate how to answer. "Not much." he said

"My dad was best friends with your parents." she said. She looked at him with careful eyes. She wanted to see his reaction so she would know to go on or not.

Harry looked up at her with wide eyes "really? He knew them?"

"Yah. him and your dad and a guy named Peter pettigrew and… someone else… were all in the same group of friends. I actually have a photo album with pictures of them in it at my house" she laughed a little at the end.

"Sadly I have no way of talking to him" harry smiled sadly

"I'm sure you'll meet him someday Harry" Emilia said comfortingly. The rest of the walk back to the castle was in silence. Both were thinking of different things. Emilia could guess that Harry was thinking about his parents. She was thinking about what else she should tell him about Lily and James. Emilia knew quite a bit about them from stories. The walked in comfortable silence, enjoying the cool breeze and the sunset. The beautiful oranges and pinks that stretched across the sky reminded her of the sunsetting over the lake behind her house. The young girl sighed. 'Home' the word buzzed through her mind. A topic she had avoided so she wouldn't feel homesick. But now that the thought had invaded her mind she began to realize just how much she missed the place. It was old, a little worn, nothing there was new, but it was perfect to her. Out by no one else, by the lake and a forest. It was wonderful. Emilia felt tears start to prickle in her eyes. She hurriedly blinked them away before harry could notice. She did not need a conversation about that right now.

 **Hello readers! Thank You for all your reviews and follows, it means so much to me!**


	15. Chapter 15: Halloween

**Disclaimer: still own absolutely nothing.**

chapter 15: Halloween

Perhaps it was because Emilia was now busy, with three quidditch practices a week, or with classes and homework. But she couldn't believe she had now been at hogwarts for two months. The time had flown by! She was bonding more and more with her friends, she hadn't had too many run-ins with Hermione, life was good so far. She had gotten past another transformation in that time; it had been even better than the last. And even better, Moony was right, Hogwarts felt like another home.

On Halloween morning she woke up to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom. Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Emilia's partner was Michael, Hannah was with dominique, Harry's partner was Seamus Finnigan, and Ammon was stuck with Neville. Ron however, was to be working with Hermione Granger. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. She hadn't spoken to any of them since the day Harry's broomstick had arrived. "Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too - never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."

The spell was not as easy as Professor Flitwick made it look. Emilia and Michael tried over and over but they only made the feather wiggle from side to side. Emilia saw that none of her other friends were having much luck either. They hadn't even gotten theirs to wiggle yet. She saw Seamus start to get impatient with his feather and poke at it. Emilia laughed when she saw the feather set on fire and Harry putting it out with his hat.

Ron didn't seem to be having much luck either. "Wingardium leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.

"You're saying it wrong" hermione said "it's win- _gar_ -dium levi- _o_ -sa. Make the 'gar' nice and long".

"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.

Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!" Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.

"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"

Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class. "It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry, Emilia, and Michael as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly. "

Someone pushed past Emilia so hard it almost knocked her down. When she looked up she saw Hermione clutching her charms textbook and walking away. Emilia saw and smelt salty tears on the girl's face. 'Poor Hermione' she thought 'I don't like her… but I do feel for her right now'

Hermione didn't show up for the next class. Or the next. Or any until finally Emilia decided to do something about it. The friends sat at the lunch table, all chatting away happily.

"Hey Domino, Hannah" Emilia wispered to the two other girls in the group. "Hermione hasn't come to classes."

"So I've noticed." Hannah frowned

"Poor hermione." domino gave a sympathetic look "we should go talk to her. I think I heard from Lavender that she's in the girls bathroom"

"What do we say to her?" the three stood up and started heading towards the entrance of the great hall. "We aren't exactly buddy buddy at the moment"

"We'll think of something." Dominique said confidently. Hannah stayed silent.

As soon as Emilia walked inside the girl's bathroom she knew they were in the right one. She smelled an overwhelming scent of salty tears and tissues. Her ears picked up on the sound of soft crying.

Emilia motioned for her friends to follow her as she walked along the row of stalls. Finally she stopped at the last bathroom stall and slowly opened the unlocked door.

"Hermione?" Emilia's heart clenched. Hermione was huddled on the floor, her robes swirled around her, her bushy brown hair covering her face, and her arm on the toilet lid for support.

"Hey Hermione we came looking for you." Hannah started

"We felt really bad for you…" Dominique added. Then it was quiet for a little.

Emilia decided to be the one to carry on a conversation. "Listen, we've all been jerks to you. And ron was being a prat when he said that. And when you didn't show up for class we got really worried about you. I'm sorry for being so awful. Will you forgive us for how we treated you?" Emilia held out her hand to the other girl to either shake or help her up. After a moment or two Hermione took the hand, shook it, then brought her hand back. The young werewolf could still sense that something was up. And judging my the uneasy looks Dominique and Hannah were sending her, they thought so too.

"You ok? Because you've taken worse insults than this and been ok afterwards."

Hermione started to cry harder. As if a dam broke she began to pour out all her thoughts to them. "I thought when I came here I could find someone to fit in with but everyone has been absolutely awful! If others would only apply themselves I wouldn't be the only one who tries in class!" uncontrollable sobs wracked the girls frame.

Emilia got down onto her knees and hugged her. She put her arm around the gryffindor girl and offered her silents support. 'Maybe, just maybe, a friendship could form at some point' she smiled at the thought. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have another person in the group who could help them with homework, besides Michael.

Finally after talking for a while and trying to cheer up Hermione they heard the bell ring.

"We'd better get to class." domino frowned. "I wish we had brought you some food."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Emilia smiled sheepishly

"Take your time and come out of the bathroom whenever you're ready. When you do, we'll be here" hannah smiled knowingly at Hermione.

As the three girls walked out of the bathroom of feeling of happiness washed over them. They smiled at each other then started to walk to class.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

As they were heading to dinner Dominique decided to tell the other boys that Hermione was still in the bathroom crying. Ron looked more awkward at this but said nothing. As soon as they entered the great hall the amazing decorations put Hermione out of their minds. Thousands of live bats flew around the ceiling while loads more flew around the tables, making the pumpkins and candles stutter. The feast appeared on golden plates in front of them. Emilia was just helping herself to a baked potato when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped

against the table, and gasped, "Troll - in the dungeons - thought you ought to know."

He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.

There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.

"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories

Immediately!"

Percy was in his element.

"Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"

"How could a troll wander into the castle?" Harry asked Emilia and Ron as they headed up the stairs.

"Don't ask me, trolls are supposed to be really stupid" ron said.

"Maybe peeves let it in as a halloween joke?" Emilia guessed. They bustled past several different groups of people. As the jostled through a few hufflepuffs Harry suddenly grabbed Ron's arm.

"I've just thought-Hermione!"

Emilia's head snapped suddenly. Hermione! She didn't know about the troll! "Ammon! Micahel! Domino and Hannah!" the friends turned around to face her. "Hermione!". With that one word everyone knew exactly what she was referring to.

Ron bit his lip.

"Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us." Ducking down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them. "Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Ammon behind a large stone griffin. Thankfully everyone else followed closely. Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.

"What's he doing?" Harry whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"

"follow me." Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps.

"He's heading for the third floor," Michael said, but Hannah held up her hand.

"Can you smell something?"

Emilia sniffed and a foul stench reached her nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean. And then they heard it - a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Hannah pointed - at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving toward them. They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight. It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, it's great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.

Ammon closed his hand over dominique's mouth to keep her from screaming. hannah showed no signs of shock except that her eyes were wide, Michael looked like he froze up, Harry made a disgusted expression, and Emilia smiled. In two months she joined a quidditch team, saw a three headed dog, and ran into a mountain troll. How cool!

The Troll headed towards a bathroom. It slowly waddled into the room, leaving an awful stench trailing behind it.

"A key!" ron said "we could lock it inside! Then go get someone!"

"That would be a great idea-" started Emilia "except for a small problem: HERMIONE IS IN THAT BATHROOM!" she snapped. Honestly, things would be a disaster without girls here to mention these important details.

They rushed towards the entrance of the bathroom, then stopped.

"We can't go in there! That's the _girls_ room!" Ron said

"No problem Ron, us girls will fight the troll by ourselves." Hannah smirked. Ron glared at her then followed her into the bathroom. The Troll smashed its large club into the first stall, sending wood splinters sliding across the floor. Hermione's scream came from the last stall.

"Hermione run!" Ammon shouted right as the troll took another swing at the stalls. Two stalls collapsed in seconds, more splinters and large chunks of wood flew everywhere. Emilia put up her arms to shield herself.

Hermione ran out of the bathroom stall right as the troll took a swing at it. She saw a blur of busy brown hair ducked and crouched under a sink.

"Domino! Go get her out of there!" Emilia shouted

"Me?" she screeched "how!?"

"Think of something! Go over to her!" Michael yelled over the noise

The troll raised his arm above his head and aimed towards the sinks. Emilia knew she had to do something but she didn't know what.

"Hey! Over here!" Harry yelled at the troll. When the troll paid no attention to him Harry threw a chunk of wood at it. Apparently mountain trolls don't like being hit in the head with wood, because as soon as it landed on his skull it swerved around and took a swing at them.

"Harry! What the heck! Now it's after us!" domino screeched

The troll took another large swing at them. While trying to dodge they split up. Domino and hannah sprinted over to the sinks to be by Hermione, Ammon and Emilia were at the far left of the bathroom, Harry in the middle, and Ron and Michael at the right.

"Well he have a mad mountain troll after us. Now what?" Emilia joked trying to ease up on the tension.

"OVER HERE!" Ammon yelled "this." he smiled at her. He threw a chunk of splintered wood at the troll, hitting it in the arm.

Emilia smiled. His smile was adorable. And he had a good aim too… a large club swinging at her head brought her back out of her thoughts. She had to dive backwards to avoid the blow, effectively bruising her side as the landed on the hard tiles.

"OVER HERE!" Harry yelled. He threw another block of wood at the troll. The beast took a swing at him and harry, trying to avoid getting smashed, clung onto its club. The Troll swung around wildly and tried to shake Harry off but Harry held on tight.

'Great going harry. Way to get yourself killed.' Emilia thought. Emilia, Ammon, Ron, and Michael started pelting the beast with wood chips. This only enraged the troll further. The Beast swung harry high into the air and Harry landed on the troll's head.

"Your dead Harry!" ammon yelled. "Amazing job!"

"Thanks Ammon, glad you like my strategy" Harry yelled back

"You have a strategy?" michael said, not nearly as loud. "I thought you were just doing whatever you thought of first."

"Oh, he is. It's what us gryffindors usually do" Emilia piped up.

"Oh shut up Emilia" Ron laughed.

"Go Harry!" domino cheered from behind the Troll.

Harry managed to take out his wand while being jostled around. He reached his hand with the wand down in front of the trolls face. The he did something Emilia didn't expect: shove his wand up far into the troll's nose. The troll obviously didn't expect it either cause it dropped its club and started scratching at his face to get the wand out.

Then Ron rushed forward with his wand held high. "Remember Ron! Swish and flick!" hermione piped up for the first time. Ron pointed his wand at the troll.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" he yelled. To everyone's surprise, the club hovered up farther and farther until it was hovering above the troll's head. Harry leaped off the beast head right as the giant club smashed into the Troll's skull with a sickening 'CRACK". The disgusting creature swayed back and forth before falling down and landing face first into the floor. Emilia dodged the awful beast before it hit her on its way down.

Harry stepped forward and pulled the wand out of it's nose. "ew, troll bogies."

"Is it… dead?" domino spoke quietly

"No. just knocked out" hannah said.

A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the eight of them look up. They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.

When Emilia saw Professor Mcgonagall's expression All hopes of winning points for gryffindor went down the drain. She looked livid. Her lips were white from being pursed together.

"What were you thinking?" she said furiously. Emilia gave a quick look at Ron who still had his wand up in the air. "Why aren't you in your dormitory?"

Snape gave her a piercing look. She looked down at the floor and wished Ron would put his wand down.

Then a small voice came out of the shadows.

"They all came looking for me professor." hermione had finally gotten to her feet.

"Miss Granger!"

"I came looking for the troll because I- I have read all about them. I thought I could handle one." she said.

The friends looked at each other in bewilderment. Hermione Granger? Lying to a teacher?

"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. Dominique and hannah came over to protect me and Michael, Ammon and Emilia helped distract it. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."

They all tried to look as if the story wasn't new to them.

"Well - in that case... " said Professor McGonagall, staring at the three of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"

Hermione hung her head. Emilia was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.

"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."

Hermione walked out of the bathroom quickly.

Professor Mcgonagall turned to the rest of them. "Well, I still say you were lucky, not many first years could take down a full grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale. You each win five points to Gryffindor. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."

"We won what? 35 points for Gryffindor? We should have gotten more." Emilia finally broke the silence as they walked down the hall to the common room.

"We were lucky we even won points." domino said

"No, we were lucky that hermione was amazing and covered for us." michael said. "What do we do about her?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Emilia rolled her eyes as if it was the most obvious answer in the world "we befriend her."

"I thought you didn't like her" ron said

"Your right. I didn't. But I do now. Plus anyone who does something like that for us AND gives us a pretty awesome mini adventure is worth befriending."

Everyone nodded and agreed. They all continued talking about school and trolls until the reached the common room.

Once they entered the Gryffindor common room they grabbed some food and went to sit by Hermione.

"Hey. thanks for what you did back there" Harry said

"You are amazing!" ammon voiced

"So we have an offer for you." Hannah spoke up "wanna join us?"

"Welcome to the group Hermione" Emilia smiled brightly. She held out her hand.

The other girl seemed to think it over for a second or two, then Hermione shook hand with Emilia. "Glad to be part of it." she smiled.


	16. Chapter 16: First Match of the Season

**Disclaimer: See literally any chapter in here.**

Chapter 16: A Quidditch Match

As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy grey and the lake like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost.

Emilia raced through the Halls as fast as her legs would carry her. The beads of sweat dripping down her forehead and sore lungs didn't faze her one bit. She sprinted down flights of stairs and through hallways, smiling brightly all the way. Down to breakfast she ran, in search of her friends. As she entered the great hall her palms began to get sweaty. Her heart pounded in her throat as she looked at all the students who would be watching her and Harry in just a few hours on the quidditch pitch. She had been practising long and hard during practices for the upcoming match.

"Emilia! Over here!" Domino yelled across the great hall. She waved very enthusiastically at her friend.

"Hey guys" Emilia smiled at she took a seat at the table. All her friends were finishing up breakfast. Hannah, Dominique, Ammon, Michael, Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Where were you?" Michael asked without looking at her. He was reading a copy of the daily prophet that his owl, Mayhew, brought him.

"I slept in" Emilia smiled sheepishly. She grabbed some eggs and bacon and dug in.

The quidditch season had begun. Emilia was very excited about that. Almost nobody had seen her or Harry practice during Gryffindor quidditch practices. Wood had decided to make Her and Harry the team's secret weapon. Of course the info had leaked through out the school. All week Emilia was told that she'd do great. Harry was told both "you'll do great" and "don't worry, I'll be under you, holding a mattress, for when you fall". Now this morning Harry didn't look so good. He looked nervous. Harry had eaten little and looked a little pale. She had played quidditch before, and she had flown more than he had.

She looked around at her friends. Hannah and Michael talked quietly about quidditch, Harry picked at his food, Ron carried on a conversation with Harry about his brother Charlie playing quidditch (even though Harry wasn't listening to him), Dominique and Ammon were bickering with each other again. They were always arguing about something stupid. This time it was about muggle electronics and how they work. Ammon decided to boast about how much he knew while Domino told him about some of the facts about them that he didn't know or got wrong. Then they would argue about how they really work. Usually Dominique was right because she had actually played with them (seeing as she is a muggle born). Emilia looked over at Hermione, sitting by Ron and Harry, Reading the transfiguration textbook. It was really lucky that they now had Hermione as a friend. she didn't know how he'd have got through all her homework without her, what with all the last-minute Quidditch practice Wood was making them do. And since they had saved her from the troll She had become much more relaxed about breaking rules.

A few days ago, while they were all out in the freezing courtyard during break, Hermione conjured a small blue flame to keep them warm. The flame could be carried around in a jam jar. They were standing with their backs to it, getting warm, when Snape crossed the yard. Emilia Noticed at once that Snape was limping. the eight friends moved closer together to block the fire from view; they were sure it wouldn't be allowed. Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Snape's eye. He limped over. He hadn't seen the fire, but he seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway.

"What's that you've got there, Potter?" It was Quidditch through the Ages. Harry showed him. "Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape."Give it to me. Five Points from Gryffindor."

"He's just made that rule up," Harry muttered angrily as Snape limped away. "Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"

"Dunno, but I Hope it's really hurting him," said Emilia bitterly.

That night the gryffindor common room was very noisy. The friends sat at the back of the room by the window. Emilia shared an armchair with Hannah, with ammon sitting on the top back of it. Michael and domino sat on the ground and played wizards chess. Every so often Ron would give Dominique tips so she would have a chance at beating michael. Michael grinned triumphantly as he took another of domino's pawns. Ammon chatted with Michael about wizards chess strategies while Michael played. Hannah and Emilia talked back and forth while watching the game. Meanwhile Harry and Hermione talked about the charms homework while Hermione looked over Harry and Ron's homework. Sadly she wouldn't let them copy off her ("how will you ever learn?").

"Ha ha ha. I've got your bishop" Dominique grinned triumphantly.

"Knight to E 5" Michael smirked as he watched Domino's grin morph into a frown as his knight destroyed _another_ of her pawns.

"Way to go domino" Emilia smiled "Another pawn down the drain. If i've counted correctly that means you only have… two left?" she smiled sweetly at her friends, who gave her a light punch in the arm.

"Hannah aren't you gonna cheer for someone? Who's side are you on?" domino looked to her friend for help.

"Go michael" Hannah smiled.

"Hey!"

"sorry. " Hannah rolled her eyes at domino. "Go domino" she said with no emotion, earning her a light punch in the arm too.

Suddenly Harry stood up.

"Where ya going?" Ron said

"I'm gonna go get my book back." Harry replied.

"Better you than me" Ammon shrugged.

"I'll come with you?" Emilia offered.

"I'll be fine." Harry said as he walked away.

About 15 minutes passed until harry came back, pale faced and deep in thought. He looked a little shaken.

"Harry?" Hannah asked, "are you ok?"

Harry told them all what he'd seen. Snape and filch talking in the staff room. Filch was cleaning Snape's leg and they were talking about getting past the three headed dog.

"You know what this means?" Harry finished breathlessly "Snape tried to get past that three headed dog on halloween- and he let in that troll in as a diversion! I'd bet my broomstick on it!"

"No he wouldn't" hermione spoke up. But not even she sounded convinced as she said, "He's a professor… he wouldn't"

"Honestly I wouldn't put it past the grease ball." Emilia said. "But i'm not so sure. I know that he's worked for hogwarts for a few years, and if dumbledore hired him then the Headmaster must trust him."

"Emilia," Michael said as he studied the chess board intently, "Don't call him a grease ball. The bat might have feelings"

"I don't see how you can call such respected people such awful names. It's not right." Hermione admonished

"We aren't calling respected professors anything, just saying things about Snape" Emilia smiled.

"What's he ever done to you?"

Emilia smirked, "you want the short list or the long one?"

The friends laughed a little and continued the intense chess match.

Emilia's thoughts about the previous week were interrupted by hannah tapping her on the shoulder. "Let's go" she smiled.

"Go where?"

"Off to the quidditch pitch. Where else?"

Emilia looked around and realized she was still at breakfast. Students began to filter out of the great hall, leaving many empty seats behind them. The great hall was less than half full now. The young first year swallowed hard. Time to face the crowds.

by eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many Students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes.

The six friends (Ron, Hermione, Hannah, Michael, Dominique, and Ammon) joined Neville, Seamus and Dean the West Ham fan up in the top row. Meanwhile down in the changing rooms Harry and Emilia were very nervous. Emilia rubbed her sweaty palms onto her red and gold quidditch gear. She clutched her cleansweep seven that Moony had finally gotten around to sending her. Wood cleared his throat to get the team's attention.

"OK, men," he said.

"And women," said Chaser Angelina Johnson.

'And women," Wood agreed.

"'This is it."

"'The Big one," said Fred Weasley.

"The one we've all been waiting for," said George.

"We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry and Emilia.

"We were in the team last year."

"Shut up, you two," said Wood. Emilia giggled.

"This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it." He glared at them all as if to say, 'Or else.' "Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you."

Emilia followed Fred and George out of the changing room and, hoping her knees weren't going to give way, walked on to the pitch to loud cheers. Madame Hooch was standing in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams. She would be refereeing the match. The slytherin team walked out of their changing rooms and onto the field. There were just as many cheers as there were boos when they came over the the middle of the field.

"Right, now I want a clean match" madame Hooch said loudly. "Team captains, shake hands". Oliver Wood and Marcus Flint, the slytherin team captain, looked like they were trying to crush each other's hands instead of shake them. "Mount your brooms". As soon as Madame Hooch blew the whistle all 15 brooms were up in the air within seconds.

"The quaffle was tossed up into the air and the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor – what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too –" "JORDAN!"

"Sorry, Professor."

The Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall.

"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Emilia Lupin, a good find of Oliver Wood's, – back to Johnson and – no, Slytherin have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes – Flint flying like an eagle up there – he's going to sc — no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and Gryffindor take the Quaffle – that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and – OUCH – that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger – Quaffle taken by Slytherin – that's Adrian Pucey speeding off towards the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger –sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which – nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clearfield ahead and off she goes – she's really flying –dodges a speeding Bludger – the goalposts are ahead– come on, now, Angelina – Keeper Bletchley dives –misses – GRYFFINDOR SCORE!"

Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins. Emilia shot her fist high into the air once she heard of the score. She let out a whoop of joy she flew over to a better position for catching the quaffle.

Emilia looked up briefly and saw Harry circling around the pitch, keeping his eyes out for the snitch. The plan for Harry was to stay out of the way until the snitch was found. Soon enough the game started back up again.

"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying.

"Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell and Lupin speed towards the – wait a moment – was that the Snitch?"

A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear.

Harry saw it. In a great rush of excitement he dived downwards after the streak of gold. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen it, too. Neck and neck they hurtled towards the Snitch – all the Chasers forgot what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in mid-air to watch.

Harry Was faster than Higgs – he could see the little roundball, wings fluttering, darting up ahead – he put on an extra spurt of speed – WHAM!

A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below – Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose and Harry's broom spun off course, Harry holding on for dear life.

"Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors. Emilia let out a quiet inhuman growl at the slytherin team captain. Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint And then ordered a free shot at the goalposts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again.

Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides. "So – after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating – "

"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.

"I mean, after that open and revolting foul – "

"Jordan, I'm warning you – '"

"All right, all right Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Lupin, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."

Emilia was speeding after a slytherin chaser she didn't know when she heard the audience gasp and shout. She stopped and turned around and saw Harry, Dangling from his broom with one hand. His broom was shaking violently and spinning wildly.

"Harry!" she shouted, making the other chasers look up and gasp. Soon everyone was on the edge of their seats, looking up into the sky. Emilia was holding her breath. Fred and George flew under harry trying to catch him if he fell. For a good five minutes Harry dangled with one hand, then two, then one, all while the broon swerved back and forth and side to side. Then it stopped.

Harry mounted his broom once more. He sped towards the ground like a jet once he gained control again. Most of the other Quidditch players were still confused about what happened. Then Emilia saw harry clap in hand over his mouth.

"He's gonna be sick!" someone on the slytherin team yelled. Harry hit the ground on all fours and spit out something into his hand. 'Eww' she thought 'oh please harry, please don't puke in front of the whole school...'

"I've Caught the snitch!" harry held the tiny golden ball high into the air. He waved in around and the crowd went **wild**!

"He caught in in his mouth!" Emilia yelled "GO HARRY!" she cheered.

"He didn't catch the snitch he nearly swallowed it!" Flint howled twenty minutes later. But it didn't matter. Harry hadn't broken any rules and gryffindor had won, 170 points to 60. Emilia rushed towards her friends that were now down on the quidditch pitch celebrating.

"Oh Merlin Emilia! you were absolutely **amazing**!" Ammon shouted. They high fived and beamed at each other. Then Emilia was engulfed in a bone crushing hug. "that was really something! You did great!" Dominique was squealing. "I have friends on the quidditch team!"

"Did you see harry almost swallow the snitch!?" Ammon yelled excitedly

"Let's go up to the common room shall we?" Hannah said "Gryffindor's having a party in common room and it sounds like fun."

As soon as Emilia stepped through the portrait hole she swore her ears were going to be blasted off. Cheering and partying and yelling and blaring music filled the crowded room. Her sensitive ears were ringing! Her sensitive nose smelled snacks and- firewhiskey? Cool. she walked around a little with Hannah. Michael and Ammon had raced off somewhere. She rolled her eyes, 'boys'. Dominique was gossiping with some other gryffindor first year girls.

"Hannah? Do you mind going upstairs maybe?" emilia mumbled to her friends. Her eyes were watering from the intense pain in her head. The overpowering noise and smell together were giving her a massive headache.

"No problem. Parties are fun but socializing isn't quite my element." hannah smiled as if she understood Emilia's pain. They walked upstairs and entered their dorm.

"So what's up?" Hannah said as she collapsed onto the bed. "You don't seem like the type to avoid parties."

"I rather like parties actually. I just…" Emilia paused, "I don't feel so great."

"I guess that's natural." hannah said casually "all the adrenaline running you through the match has worn out by now. You feel tired any?"

"Um... yea" Emilia said in what she hoped was a casual tone

Hannah let out a dry laugh. "You suck at lying"

"Oh and you don't?"

"Nope. I'm good at it. So is michael. And Ammon can get away with it occasionally. Don't worry, Domino sucks too"

"I like how you're so sure about your lying ability" Emilia smirked

"Just something I picked up." she said simply. Hannah smirked in a way best described as 'slytherin'. The girl had every aspect of a slytherin student about her, yet here she was, in gryffindor. Hannah was mysterious, quiet, cunning, resourceful, and she was **very** observant.

"Do you mind if i ask you something?" Emilia said quietly. She stared intently at her friend, who sat on the bed opposite her.

"Depends on the question" she said in the same casual tone. But her tone was different. She sounded cautious and a little worried.

"Why are you in gryffindor?"

Hannah sat up slowly and looked questioningly at Emilia."Come again?"

"You seem very… slytherin. I can prove it If you don't mind me making some observations."

"Go ahead"

"You always seem to sense when something is up with one of us friends. You are cunning, quiet, always know what's going on around you, and you don't let all your emotions show, only the one's you deem worthy of showing. Not all of those are slytherin qualities but some are." Emilia explained slowly. She watched hannah intently, trying to read her reaction.

Hannah's face went blank. "Just things I've picked up." she said quietly.

"Your eleven. What type of a life have you been living?" Emilia asked suspiciously.

Her friend seemed very uncomfortable all of a sudden. "I understand you have some questions about my life…" she said carefully. "But if you don't mind, I have some observations about you" she displayed that slytherin smirk again.

'So she's not going to answer my questions eh?' Emilia thought ruefully. 'Turning the tables instead. I see how she's playing this'. "Go on ahead" she said slowly.

"You are an extrovert, enjoy friends, don't care for rules, don't always think before you speak, you have a crush on Ammon, though you don't want to admit it, are very smart even though you don't apply yourself-"

"See? Observant. I was right"

She gave Emilia a tight smile "may I finish?"  
"Yes of course" Emilia smiled politely

"And most importantly, you, Emilia Lupin, are hiding something big from your friends."

Emilia's stomach lurched. Her hands became sweaty, her heart pounded, her smile slipped from her face. What exactly did Hannah know?


	17. Chapter 17: Pranks

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything remotely related to Harry Potter**

Chapter 17: Pranks

"C-come again?" Emilia stuttered. She inwardly cursed at her cowardly tone.

"I don't need to explain how I know, seeing as though you are obviously frightened at the thought of me finding out. I'll drop it for now."

"For now?"

"Yes. for now. So how about an agreement?" Hannah spoke in a low, serious tone that sent chills through Emilia. The girl was eleven yet she already knew how to frighten people, how to hide her emotions, and how to observe everything going on around her. Hannah was… weird- that's a good word for it. Weird.

Emilia gathered up her courage so as not to sound like a wuss- or worse- like Neville. "What's your agreement?"

"We don't mention to anyone that we have any secrets at all. None of the students will every know we're different. And this way if we aren't on to each other then we can hide better." Hannah said.

"You're hiding something too? Makes sense… does anyone know?"

Hannah pondered the question for a bit before turning back to Emilia. "Michael knows about me. That's all. With the exception of my family. Anyone know yours?"

"Only my family." Emilia said. She longed to ask Hannah what she was hiding. She badly wished for the chance to tell her friends of her werewolf status. Emilia couldn't see how Hannah wouldn't even ask what she was hiding. Didn't she want to know?

"Deal?"

Emilia hesitated a moment before shaking Hannah's hand. "Deal."

"Good." the eerie mood seemed to lift as soon as they finished shaking hands. The sat in silence, each pondering what the other was hiding. Then a familiar scent hit Emilia's nose. The scent of flowery perfume and strawberries and the scent of ink and fresh parchment.

"Hermione and Domino are coming." Emilia said.

Hannah looked at her with a puzzled expression. Then the two girls came quietly through the door, both talking in hushed whispers. They looked at, surprised to find Hannah and Emilia up here.

Hannah looked over at Emilia suspiciously. "How did you-" she began but got cut off

"You'll never believe what Harry, Ron, and Hermione found out." dominique began quickly.

"First I should explain what went on in the match." began Hermione, "Harry's broom was being jinxed with dark magic. When I used Hagrid's binoculars I saw Snape muttering under his breath and keeping perfect eye contact on Harry's broom, without blinking. Then I went down there and… stopped him"

"What do you mean 'stopped him'?" Hannah asked, a small smile playing on her lips.

"I set fire to his robes"

"Alright Hermione! Setting fire to Snape!" Emilia cheered. Hermione blushed a little but continued on.

"Once he realized he was on fire then Harry's broom stopped, Confirming that he was the one that did it!"

"I can't believe a professor would try to Harm another student!" dominique was outraged. "Harry could have died!"

"After the match we went down to Hagrid's hut. Hagrid had accidentally let it slip to us that the three headed dog, Fluffy, was guarding something that had to do with Nicholas Flamel."

The room was silent for a second. Then Emilia spoke up, "first, who's Nicholas Flamel? And second, the dog's name is FLUFFY?!"

"The name doesn't suit the creature does it?" Hannah said thoughtfully.

"So if you'd like you can assist us in searching through the library to find anything on Nicholas Flamel." Hermione said.

Emilia let out a small laugh. "Tempting. But I'd rather spend my time doing other things than searching through the whole Hogwarts library."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Emilia tossed and turned but no matter how how she tried she couldn't fall asleep. Under the blankets she was too hot. With blankets off she was to cold. She was both exhausted and restless at the same time. The time ticked by slowly. Each minute seemed like an eternity. She tried breathing exercises, she tried counting sheep. None of it worked. She tossed onto one side of the bed and threw off the blankets. Emilia looked around the dark room. Domino was sprawled out above her blankets, Hermione was peacefully sleeping, Lavender and Parvati had their curtains closed, and Hannah- was she… crying? Emilia inhaled in and smelled salty tears. And with the moonlight shining on her face Emilia could see tear streaks glistening. What was the troubled girl hiding? Well what did she know about Hannah? Hannah was a quiet observer. She was very good at reading body language, she was a pure blood and related to the malfoys, and blacks, and the lestranges, and all those awful people. Maybe she was having problems with family? They were all usually slytherin and Hannah was a gryffindor. That would cause problems. Emilia sighed again and tossed onto her other side. The feeling of boredom started to creep up on her. She sighed and tossed and turned. She threw the covers on and off herself. What did she usually do when the full moon was close and she couldn't sleep? She went outside! That or talked to Moony, but Moony wasn't here. But it was much to cold to go outside. It was fall, almost winter, and twenty degrees outside!

Emilia sighed again. At the moment any adventure to the outdoors, almost winter or not, seemed like a better idea then lying here. She threw the blankets off her one last time and sat up. She shivered as her bare feet touched the icy floor boards. Quietly as possible, she slipped on socks and her worn, black trainers. She pulled over a dark red hoodie over her navy blue pajama shirt. After deciding not to change out of her sweatpants she walked over the a mirror. She tied her sandy brown curls up into a messy bun. 'Alright' she thought 'time to go'.

She tiptoed down the stairs and into the common room. Emilia scanned the room for any students. After seeing none she began to walk quietly to the portrait hole. Then she heard whispers. Emilia spun around and saw fred and George Weasley sitting in a dark corner, looking at a piece of parchment and whispering quietly. Their eyes scanned the paper before stopping on the same spot. Their eyes widened and their heads shot up to look at Emilia.

"Evening gentlemen" Emilia smiled innocently. "Fancy seeing you down here"

"Ms. Lupin" Fred said, still a little shocked

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" George finished.

"I could ask you the same thing. But maybe I'll settle for asking you what you're up to."

Fred and George smiled mischievously at each other, then at Emilia. "You like pranks?"

The next thing Emilia knew she was darting through the halls of hogwarts. The twins were just up ahead of her, leading her to a certain destination (they didn't tell her). Finally they stopped at a piece of tapestry that covered a large portion of the wall. The tapestry had the hogwarts crest on it.

"Ladies first" Fred pointed to the tapestry.

"First for what?" Emilia look puzzled.

"Lift it up" George said

Instead of questioning 'why?' she went ahead and did what they said. She lifted up the picture and behind it was a small area, completely hidden from view. "A secret area!" She gasped

"Perfect for hanging out in"

"Or hiding from teachers"

"Ok, that's kinda cool." she admitted. "What were you planning? You wouldn't show me this place for no reason."

"A great prank" started fred

"And after it's done being set up-" george said

"We meet up back here."

"Tell me already!" Emilia laughed

"We had the idea of making the statues say things as people pass by" George explained

"I think, brother, that one of us should take Emilia and one should take the map. That way we can split up and get this done faster" Fred turned to george. "How about I take Emilia?"

"Good idea. I'll take the map. It's 1:43 now, how about we meet up around 3:00?"

"Wait!" Emilia put her hand up, "what's the map?"

The twins smiled mischievously at each other again.

"A story for another time" George smiles before turning around and walking down the corridor.

"Aww why can't I know?" Emilia said in a voice best described as a whine

"You'll find out sooner or later. Let's get these spells working and onto the statues"

They walked along the dark corridors, talking quietly and spelling statues and suits of armor to speak at people walked by. The objects would say things like "good day" or "how do you do?" or if it was snape it would mutter "greasy git". Once they had finished up they headed back to the large Hogwarts crest tapestry. As soon as Emilia lifted it she heard footsteps coming down the corridor. She Motioned for fred to follow her into the secret area quickly. She sat and listened as the footsteps got louder and faster. That must be George, why would a professor be running down the halls at this time at night? Sure enough the tapestry lifted and George Weasley stepped into the secret area, looking frantic.

"Filch was patrolling" he began, he leaned over and sucked in large amounts of air to catch his breath. He clutched his chest as he explained, "I hadn't run into anyone all night so I figured no one was around. That was when I tripped over Mrs. Norris"

Fred laughed "that cat deserved it"

Emilia frowned. "Does filch know it's you?"

"Most likely" George smiled

"Most other students don't wander around as much as we do" Fred explained

"Does he know about this place?" Emilia asked. She was starting to get a little worried now.

"No he doesn't"

"That's why this is such a great hiding place"

Emilia gave a relieved sigh. "So… how do we know when he's gone?"

George opened the map. "He's gone"

"You looked at a map. How would that tell you if he's gone or not?"

Fred and george smiled to each other.

"No no no, none of your knowing and mischievous smirks. Just tell me what that is! I need to find out!" Emilia laughed.

"Only true pranksters can know about this-"

"-Ones who need it-"

"-Ones who will appreciate it-"

"-Ones who will use it to make the most dastardly plans come true"

Emilia snorted. "True pranksters? You're asking me if I'm a true prankster? The girl who destroyed her house with water jets two weeks before i came here? The one who accidently blew up a tree when she was eight? I've dumped buckets of yellow paint on my enemies, i've drugged my dad with a sleeping potion so I could sneak out and explore the forest by my house, so excuse me gentlemen but I just might fit your requirements" Emilia smiled triumphantly at the twins awed expressions.

"Well Fred i think we've found a new recruit"

"Yes brother, I think we have"

"Emilia, us pranksters must stick together. What do you say we let you join us in our pranks?"

Emilia beamed up at them. "I'd be happy to join you"

"So what's the map?" they walked along the deserted corridor. Filch had long since passed them while they hid in the secret area. They walked along the long hall one the tile floor, lit up by white beams of moonlight. The tall windows displayed the beautiful Hogwarts grounds cloaked in darkness. Crickets chirped, bushes rustled in the wind, owls chirped loudly in the night. The night air called for Emilia. She longed to be out there, free to roam in the shadows of the forest. But the young girl stayed inside. She couldn't go out now. Maybe another night.

"What is this?" she stared at the blank piece of parchment Fred held out. Emilia half expected it to be a joke product and not a map at all. But they wouldn't do that would they? They were Fred and George though…

"This is the key to our success."

"This is what has helped us with all our pranks so far"

Emilia stared at it, confused as to how this blank paper has helped them so much. "What exactly are you using that blank piece of parchment for?"

"Blank piece of parchment" Fed grimaced as though Emilia had offended him. "George, explain"

"Well ... when we were in our first year, Emilia – young,carefree and innocent –"

Emilia snorted. She doubted whether Fred and George had ever been innocent.

"– well, more innocent than we are now – we got into a spot of bother with Filch."

"We let off a Dung Bomb in the corridor and it upset him for some reason –"

"So he hauled us off to his office and started threatening us with the usual –"

"– detention –"

"– disembowelment –"

"– and we couldn't help noticing a drawer in one of his filing cabinets marked Confiscated and Highly Dangerous."

"Don't tell me –" said Emilia, starting to grin.

"Well, what would you've done?"

said Fred.

"George Caused a diversion by dropping another Dung Bomb, I Whipped the drawer open and grabbed – this."

"It's not as bad as it sounds, you know," said George.

"Why would he have confiscated a piece of paper?" Emilia asked. She looked at the Parchment with a newfound curiosity.

"Ahh, exactly what we thought." George tapped his wand to it,"I solemnly swear I am up to no good"

Emilia's excitement grew as she watched the parchment come to life. at once, thin ink lines began to spread like a spider's web from the point that George's wand had touched.

They joined each other, they criss-crossed,they fanned into every corner of the parchment;

the words began to blossom across the top, great, curly green words, that proclaimed:

 _Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs_

 _Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers_

 _are proud to present_

 _THE MARAUDER'S MAP_

It was a map showing every detail of the Hogwarts Castle and grounds.

But the truly remarkable thing was the tiny ink dots moving around it, each labelled with a name in minuscule writing.

Astounded, Emilia Bent over it.

A labelled dot in the top left corner showed that Professor Dumbledore was pacing his study; the caretaker's cat, Mrs Norris, was prowling the second floor, and Peeves the poltergeist was currently bouncing around the trophy room. And as Emilia's eyes travelled up and down the familiar corridors, she noticed something else. This map showed a set of passages she had never entered. And many of them seemed to lead –

"Right into Hogsmeade," said Fred, tracing one of them with his finger.

"There are seven in all."

"Now, Filch knows about these four –" he pointed them out, "– but we're sure we're the only ones who know about these."

"Don't bother with the one behind the mirror on the fourth floor."

" We used it until last winter, but it's caved in – completely blocked."

"And we don't reckon anyone ever used this one, because the Whomping Willows planted right over the entrance."

"But this one here, this one leads right into the cellar of Honeydukes.

We've used it loads of times."

" And as you might've noticed, the entrance is right outside this room, through that one-eyed old crone's hump."

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs,' sighed George, patting the heading of the map.

'We owe them so much."

"Noble men, working tirelessly to help a new generation of lawbreakers," said Fred solemnly.

"Right," said George briskly, "don't forget to wipe it after you've used it –"

"– or anyone can read it," Fred said warningly.

"Just tap it again and say" 'Mischief managed!' And it'll go blank."

Emilia was speechless. This map was the most amazing thing she had ever seen! Joining fred and george was one of the best decisions she's ever made!

After scanning over the map again they finally made their way back up to the gryffindor common rooms. She walked into her dorm quietly so she wouldn't disturb anyone's sleep. Thankfully no one woke up as she fell onto the bed. Emilia fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. The young girl slept peacefully, dreaming of all the possible mischief to land herself into, still sleeping in her sweatshirt, sweats, and trainers.


	18. Chapter 18: The Shrieking Shack

**Disclaimer: same as usual. I don't own Harry Potter**

Christmas was fast approaching. White blankets of fluffy powder covered the rolling hills. flurries of snow had been rolling in the air under the command of capricious, roaring few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again.

No one could wait for the holidays to start. Tomorrow students would be getting back on the train to spend the holidays with their family. Everyone except Emilia, that is. It was true, Emilia wouldn't be going home for christmas. There was a full moon the night before the students left to go home. She would be in no condition to travel back home, and Moony wouldn't be well enough to pick her up anyways. Mcgonagall had come around making a list of all the students who were staying to the school for christmas. Emilia had wistfully signed. She wouldn't be alone however, Harry, Ron, and Hannah were staying at the school too. But Emilia couldn't help but feel sad as she watched everyone else pack up their things and talk about christmas with family.

Emilia and Dominique walked down the dungeons corridor after potions had ended.

"I live in an apartment in london" dominique was saying "and my parents got time off work for the holidays. A good week with no work! My mum and dad are my little brother, Ivan, is having a christmas party in his class in his muggle school. I get to be there and help set up. Mum's baking cookies for his party and I might even get to sneak some!"

"That's great Domino" Emilia managed a weak smile. Emilia was homesick. She missed the old house, she missed the lake and forest, she missed her comfy room, and most of all she missed Moony. She'd never been away from him for so long. Months now, away from her dad and alfa, was taking a toll on the young girl. She'd get used to it, But she didn't know when she'd get used to it. "I'm staying here for the holidays"

"Hogwarts should be very pretty during the holidays" dominique commented. "And have your seen the great hall? Me and Hannah passed it this morning. It looks great! Trees and wreaths and decorations everywhere!"

Emilia gave a small smile. "Can't wait to see it"

The two girls headed up to the library to scout out their other friends. They knew Harry, Ron, and Hermione would be in the library. For the past weeks the trio had been researching the name 'Nicholas Flamel'. Even Emilia and her friends had helped the trio look. Nothing had come up but Harry had sworn he had seen it somewhere before. As for Hannah, Michael, and Ammon…. Emilia didn't know where they were. But she could guess that the boys probably weren't in the library. Michael loved the library but Ammon liked the quidditch pitch more. Usually Ammon dragged michael to the quidditch pitch instead of going to the library.

Once they had checked in with the trio (still nothing found out about Nicholas Flamel), the girls headed for the front doors. Sure enough they found the three missing friends right by the entrance to the great hall. Michael was finishing up fastening his heavy winter cloak and the two others were waiting patiently for him so they could go outside.

"Hey!" Emilia waved as they approached.

The friends looked up as they approached. "We were looking for you!" Ammon smiled

"Did you not think to check the library?" dominique asked

"Oh." ammon said "we probably could have looked there…"

"You forget, domino, that this is the guy who doesn't like the library Emilia smirked

"It's not that I don't like it, I just avoid it at all costs" Ammon smirked too.

"We were going outside" hannah explained as she handed Emilia a very familiar cloak.

Emilia grabbed the black fabric and looked at hannah, puzzled, "this is my cloak. Why do you have it?"

"I knew you guys would find us. So I grabbed your cloaks so we don't have to wait for you to get them." she handed domino a purple one, which Domino gratefully took.

"You think of everything!" domino smiled. She and Emilia fastened their winter cloaks and the five friends headed outside.

The winter breeze was cold. It froze the young werewolf's nose and turned her cheeks pink. The snow came down in small flurries, twirling quietly down to the powdery blanket on the ground. Everything was peaceful and beautiful. The friends walked in silence for a little, enjoying the snow, before breaking into small conversations. Emilia was about to tell michael about the decorations in the great hall, when a ball of white snow hit her in the shoulder. She raised an eyebrow at Ammon, who smiled triumphantly.

"Oh you don't know what you just started…" Emilia smiled dangerously. She stooped down to the ground and packed some snow tightly into a ball.

Ammon, seeing what the girl was doing, jumped backwards. He lunged to the side just as Emilia raised her arm to throw. He didn't see where she was aiming and jumped backwards, jumping right into her line of fire. The ball of white snow hit him square in the face. He gasped at the sting of coldness attacking his face. After wiping off the remaining bits still on his face, he grabbed a snowball and threw it at her. Instead of hitting Emilia it hit michael, (who was right next to her) in the stomach.

Michael scowled and muttered something about "friends who can't aim". He made a snowball of his own and chucked it as hard as he could in ammon's direction. The snowball hit Hannah instead and a full fledged snowball fight broke out between them all. Ammon and Hannah on one team and Emilia, Michael, and Dominique on the other. Snowballs flew, snow was kicked at each other, and Emilia even smashed a huge chunk of snow into ammons hair. By the time everyone went inside they were all laughing while shivering in their cold, wet, clothes.

Hannah and Ammon high fived while claiming they won. The other three were quietly plotting against them for revenge. Then Emilia heard a gasp from behind them. They spun around and saw Filch, scowling at the puddles of water and snow the were leaving in their tracks through the school. Emilia cringed at the old caretaker's glower.

"I'll get you all in detention for this!" he growled and started advancing toward them.

"Run!" Emilia shouted. They took off running down the halls, slamming into other students and tripping over trick stairs. Emilia's chest ached, her went clothes made it hard the run in, and she wasn't sure if Filch was still after them. Then an idea came into her head. Fred and George had showed her that secret room behind the tapestry! She could lead them there! Emilia motioned for them to follow her down a different hall. When they finally got to the Tapestry, Emilia lifted it up and motioned for them to get inside. The others were confused but walked in anyways.

"How do you know this place?" Domino asked. She looked around the small room in awe. The room looked like the hallway but it just ended shortly after the tapestry. It was a bit dusty but that was to be expected from a place that gets few visitors.

"Fred and George showed it to me a while ago." Emilia said.

"Was that the night you helped them with those statues?" hannah smirked.

"Yes. and seeing the look on snape's face as a statue called him a greasy git… that was priceless." Emilia laughed

"It was great! And he couldn't pin it on you either" Ammon mused

"You're not pranking with them anymore are you?" domino frowned

"Sorry to disappoint, Domino, but they've accepted me as a fellow prankster. Do you have a problem with it?"

Dominique's brows furrowed "I just don't want to wake up to find my hair a different color than brown"

"Ooh good idea…" Emilia smiled

"-speaking of hair being a different color" michael cut in "Emilia your hair is green"

Emilia signed. Her friends were all well aware that she was a metamorphmagus. At least three times a week her hair would randomly switch colors. Other students as well as teachers noticed the sudden changes too. Emilia shook her head violently and her green hair turned back to its original sandy brown color.

"Don't other meta… thingies change other appearances than hair color?" Domino asked

"Yeah actually they can change lots of things. Thankfully I only changes hair color. I can't really control it yet" Emilia frowned.

The five friends slowly walked out of the secret cove once they were sure filch wasn't after them anymore.

"You are all bad influences on me," Domino laughed "we've run from adults at school, we've fought trolls, I used to be a good kid!"

"I'll admit that fighting trolls isn't normal. But running from adults is nothing new" Ammon laughed.

"Speak for yourself" Emilia chimed in, "I fight trolls all the time!"

"To the library then? The trio may need some help?" Hannah asked

"No offense to them, but it's our last day at hogwarts before the holidays and I'd rather not spend it searching through books" Michael said.

"Agreed. It's about 3:00 so we have the whole afternoon to ourselves!" Emilia smiled "to the common room?"

"To the common room!"

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Emilia groaned. Her now amber eyes stared at the ceiling in misery. Her body ached, her face was pale, she was shivering and burning up at the same time. She let our another dry moan. Now that she thought about it, playing in the snow probably wasn't the best idea.

After they had gotten to the common room, the friends played exploding snap and finished homework. Emilia joined in and played a few games before a wave of nausea hit her. In all the fun she had nearly forgotten that the full moon was tonight. She went upstairs to take a light nap and now here she was, awake and feeling like death.

Emilia rolled off her bed in a very ungraceful fashion. She pulled on a navy sweatshirt over her white t shirt. She realized, as she looked at the clock, that she had slept past dinner and it was now late evening. She needed to get to the shrieking shack soon! After lacing up her trainers she headed for the door to the common room.

As the young girl walked downstairs she heard the laughter of her friends. She needed to get past them, but how? Maybe she could tiptoe past and hope they didn't notice her? She had to hurry down to the shack and talking with friends would just hold her up.

The young werewolf crept as quietly as possible down the remaining stairs. She tiptoed through the common room slowly. So far no one had detected her. She was half way, she could see the portrait hole now… just a little closer and…

"Where you going Emilia?" hannah appeared behind her.

Emilia jumped. "What?" she said nervously. She had to get a grip! Hannah could probably already tell she was hiding something! Emilia took the time to scout out where everyone else was. Michael was reading by the window, Dominique was walking towards her and hannah, and Ammon was wooing some girl in second year. As soon as she saw Ammon and the second year gryffindor Moonlet growled. Emilia pushed back Moonlet the best she could and tried to focus on Hannah.

"Where are you going? It's almost curfew." hannah said suspiciously. The other girl's eyes bore deeply into hers, sending shivers down Emilia's spine.

"uh….hospital wing! Yup i'm going to the hospital wing." Emilia eyed hannah curiously. Surely Hannah remembered the agreement they made earlier? That they would help hide each other's secret? Or whatever the agreement was. But how could they hide each other's secrets when they didn't know what the secrets were? Emilia frowned. Hannah might discover what she was hiding and tell everyone else, not knowing what Emilia was trying to hide!

"Hospital wing? Well you do look pale." Dominique said sympathetically.

"You get sick often don't you?" Hannah kept the eye contact. Emilia wanted to break away from the girls stare but couldn't find the strength to. Who was Hannah really? The fact that an eleven year old was capable of striking this much fear in someone with just a stare was…. Scary.

"I get sick often, yes." Emilia said matter of factly. if getting sick ment turning into a werewolf then yes, she got sick often.

"I can walk you to the Hospital wing?" Dominique said sweetly.

"No it's alright. I can walk by myself" Emilia frowned. She was getting really freaked out with the eye contact thing going on with Hannah.

"See you tomorrow then" hannah said. She waved goodbye at the young werewolf.

"Bye" Emila said quickly. She spun around quickly and broke eye contact. Once she stepped out of the common room the young girl let out a sigh of relief. She really hated lying to her friends. Friends shouldn't keep such huge secrets (especially one's that determine whether they should be friends in the first place) Emilia kept telling herself it was for their safety, but what it if wasn't? Maybe she's just selfish? She's a monster and they should know that. She just wants friends. Maybe being a werewolf meant you just didn't get friends. But that's not true, Moony had friends… they were just different Emilia guessed. Now all that was left was to sneak down to the whomping willow and endure a painful transformation. Fun right?

 _Meanwhile:_

"Alright domino, round up the boys. It's go time." Hannah said seriously.

"Now? Can't this wait until after christmas break?" Domino squeaked

"Now. we can't wait any longer." hannah looked eyes with Domino and glared threateningly. How was she going to get anything done if all her friends wouldn't concentrate? Missions were easier with Madison! But she couldn't tell them that. None of her friends knew who madison was.

"Are you sure she's not going to the hospital wing? She looks sick!" domino frowned.

"Oh for the love of- Michael! Ammon! Get over here!" hannah yelled. She rolled her eyes as Ammon took the time to kiss the girls hand before running over. What a ladies man.

"Yes?" michael asked. The four friends huddled together in the corner of the common room, away from everyone else.

"Ever noticed how emilia leaves every so often?" Hannah asked

"She's sick isn't she?" ammon said

"That's a pretty nasty cold if she visits the hospital wing every few weeks" Michael smirked

"Can't you two be serious?" domino sighed

" I am serious!" Ammon whined

Hannah rolled her eyes. "Comon guys, is it really this hard to focus? We've gotta go follow Emilia. I wanna know what she's up to."

"Oooh a mission! I'm in!" Ammon said eagerly

"I haven't snuck around in a while so… I'm in" Michael smiled

"Domino?"

"I can't believe you guys are alright with invading Emilia's privacy like this! She's our friend! What if she's actually sick?!" Dominique scolded

"So are you coming?" Hannah said impatiently

Dominique sighed, "yes. I'll come"

The four crept silently through the halls after the shadowy figure. "Are you sure this is the right person?" domino whispered "we've followed four different students accidentally already."

"This is her." Hannah ground out.

"You sure?" Dominique frowned

Michael rolled his eyes at Dominique. "This girl is wearing a navy hoodie and has brown curly hair. It's definitely her."

"That girl is also heading the opposite direction from the hospital wing" Ammon pointed out.

They crept along the hallways being as silents as possible. Emilia appeared to be headed outside. They followed her out the entrance hall and across the grounds. 'Emilia, where are you going?' hannah thought to herself. The sun was almost over the hills now, darkness was starting to form around them as time went on. They hid behind a large rock as Emilia walked over to the whomping willow.

"She's committing suicide, going by that tree!" Ammon whispered loudly

"What is she doing?" Michael stared at her intently.

Emilia turned to the tree. She waved her wand and made the tree stop. Then the girl climbed down into a passage below the roots.

Hannah was deeply confused. She stood up to follow when someone blocked her path.

"Wait" domino said tentatively "she obviously doesn't want anyone to know where she's going. Why don't we just give her space and bring it up tomorrow?"

The other three friends looked at each other and back at Domino.

"Whatever she's doing can't be that bad can it?" Ammon reasoned

"Let's go down there before the tree comes back to life and kills us" Hannah motioned for the others to follow.

"This place is so cool!" the four friends crept along a long underground passage. Their path was covered in dirt and cobwebs. Hannah stumbled over rocks and roots in her way. After fifteen or so minutes of wandering she saw a the tunnel end.

"It ends up ahead"

"Where'd Emilia go then?"

"I don't know" Hannah whispered. She squinted in the darkness and saw the dark outline of a door at the end. As they neared she realized there was a trap door on the top of the tunnel at the end.

"No worries, I'll check it out and make sure it's safe" Ammon smiled heroically. He puffed out his chest and pushed to the front. Hannah rolled her eyes.

"Yes Ammon, I'm sure it's so dangerous. Emilia already climbed through it remember?" Domino said sarcastically. Ammon rolled his eyes but carried on anyways. He lifted the trap door and stuck his head through.

"Coast clear" came his quiet reply from above. The group followed Ammon up through the trapdoor, creeping as quietly as possible.

"Is this… the shrieking shack?" Ammon said in awe.

"Isn't this place haunted?" Dominique squeaked

"It's said that weird noises come from this place on occasion. Nighttimes and stuff. Lots of screaming and howling." Michael said nonchalantly.

Hannah felt an uneasy feeling creep up inside of her. Why was Emilia going here? And did she, Hannah Steere, really just lead her friends into the shrieking shack at nighttime? They probably thought she was trying to kill them!

"Why are we here then? We need to get out! It's haunted!" Dominique screeched.

Michael started up the old stairs. The stairs were dusty and rotted. The shack smelled of dirt and musk with a hint of blood. Hannah shivered in the cold dead air. The house was deathly silent except for a weird shuffling noise coming from upstairs.

"Does no one listen to me? Michael stop there are noises upstairs, let's go!" Dominique said frantically. She was shaking and starting to really freak out.

"Domino." hannah put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "you can stay down here if you'd like. You don't have to come with us."

Dominique didn't answer. She snapped her mouth shut and followed Michael up the stairs. Hannah and Ammon quickly followed suit.

As they got near a the top Hannah noticed that the shuffling sound was growing closer and closer. The shuffling was accompanied by soft whimpering sounds too. The disturbing noises were soon right ahead of them. Hannah took a deep breath and pushed the door open and found and old, rotting, dusty bedroom. There was a collapsed bed at one side, a broken fireplace, an old window, and… Emilia?

The pale limp form of Emilia Lupin was crouched in the corner. shaking and eyes closed she looked so worn and tired that Hannah had to resist the urge to run over and help her up.

"Is she- dead?!" domino squeaked.

The sudden noise caught her tired friends attention. Frantic terrified eyes met Hannah's confused one's. Emilia looked like she might cry.

"Get o-out... of here… now!" came the raspy voice from her friend.

"Why?" Ammon asked. He looked at his troubled friend with a puzzled expression.

"Full… moon… get o-out. Go n-now! ...please…" Emilia whispered in a hoarse voice.

As if a dam broke memories came flooding back to Hannah. The times Malfoy called Emilia a half breed, the days Emilia spent in the hospital wing, Amber eyes and scars. The signs were all there! How didn't she see? Then a certain memory came back to her. Herself and Emilia sitting and talking in the dorm room. They promised to help each other keep their secrets safe. This was her secret!

She watched in heartbroken horror as her best friends screamed in pain. The girl doubled over in agony. Her limbs cracked, her ears shifted, her nose became a muzzle. Dominique screamed and ducked behind Michael, Ammon was staring with his mouth hanging open, and Hannah felt her face burn in shame. She realized in horror that she had not only broken her promise to her best friend, but helped her other friends discover Emilia's biggest secret. Emilia Lupin was a werewolf.

 **So sorry I hadn't posted a chapter in forever (I blame school). Thank you for all your reviews, favorites, etc. hopefully I'll post another soon.**


	19. Chapter 19: Secrets Revealed

**Disclaimer: See ch. 1. I don't own Harry Potter.**

Emilia didn't know where she was. The smell seemed familiar but she was too tired to make sense of it. What had happened? She tried to remember. Pictures flooded into her mind, walking into the old shack, falling limp into the corner upstairs, the sun setting completely, then footsteps… her friends! They were there!

The young girl bolted upright in her bed. As she opened her eyes she realized she was in the hospital wing. That makes sense… but how did her friends find her last night? The young werewolf tried to remember who was there. Hannah and Michael were there, Dominique was behind Michael, and oh merlin, Ammon was there! whenever she thought about Ammon she got chills. He was amazing… no, she couldn't think about that. Her friends didn't leave before she transformed! What if she bit one of them? She couldn't live with herself if she turned anyone, friend or not, into a werewolf. She bit one of them, didn't she? A new wave of nausea swept over her. She felt ill. What if she really bit one of them? Panic soon set in. she turned an innocent person into a monster. A dark creature like her. She couldn't breath, she couldn't think, she felt tears start to come. She would be expelled from hogwarts. She'd live as an outcast for the rest of her life. Every student here would know what happened. What she really was. She couldn't breath, tears flowed freely down her cheeks. The young girl curled up into a ball and cried. There wasn't anyone to see her anyways, the hospital wing was empty.

Wait a second… empty? If she had bit anyone they would be in the hospital wing. That means…

Loud sets of footsteps echoed down the hall outside. They were getting louder and louder as the went. The hospital wing doors burst open with a loud 'bang'. Hannah, Michael, Dominique, and Ammon came bursting in. while running, in Dominique had tripped into Michael and they both went toppling into the floor. Emilia sat upright and looked at them with a mix of sorrow and confusion. Why were they here? Did they really want to see her?

"What? No hello? I'm missing breakfast for this!" Ammon joked.

Emilia looked down at her hands and said nothing. She couldn't bring herself to look any of them in the eyes.

"Where's madame Pomfrey?"

"She went to help some Hufflepuff who crashed on the quidditch pitch." Emilia mumbled. She kept her eyes locked with her hands that were resting on her lap. The guilt was too much to bear.

Hannah walked slowly over to Emilia. She eyed her curiously then sat down at the edge of her hospital bed. "Emilia," she began gently, "Do you remember any of last night?"

The gentle and understanding tone made Emilia feel much better. The gentle tone could mean that nothing bad happened. That everyone understood? But she couldn't be to hopeful. "I only remember pictures. You guys followed me." she said in a weak voice. "I-Im so sorry"

Dominique sat criss crossed at the foot of Emilia's bed now. "I didn't know werewolves existed until last night. And seeing you turn into one of those… creatures... was terrifying. But you didn't hurt us. You nudged us to the exit and whimpered like you wanted us to leave. Your not dangerous." Dominique spoke in a gentle tone.

"I didn't bite anyone?" Emilia looked up, hopeful.

"You tried to make us leave before you transformed."Ammon said "after you transformed you nudged us towards the exit. We left pretty fast."

Relief flooded through Emilia. She hadn't bitten anyone! She could stay in Hogwarts and she wouldn't be a complete outcast!

"We sat in that secret room behind the tapestry so no one could hear us. We all talked about what to do. We all agreed that obviously we don't know each other well enough. today, before we leave, we will tell eachother everything. Kinda like a confession. Because we are friends. And if we are gonna stay with each other for all our years at hogwarts then we've gotta trust each other." Michael said.

Everyone looked at Emilia for her opinion. Emilia contemplated her options for a minute. She didn't have any other huge secrets she would be giving up. And Michael's reasoning made sense… "Ok. Let's do it."

The friends sat in a circle on the hard floor. The were hid away in the secret room. Everyone was quiet, waiting for someone to start and break the silence. Emilia was getting tired of the silence. "I'll go first." she sighs. "My full name is Emilia Jade Lupin. As you guys know, i'm a werewolf. I was born a werewolf. My dad was bitten as a child and when one parent is a werewolf and one isn't I had a fifty fifty chance of being a werewolf or not. I just have bad luck I guess. My mom's not alive anymore but her name was Ella Jade. My dad's alive and his names Remus Lupin. I've grown up somewhat poor. With my dad being a werewolf he doesn't have a stable job. I've had a fairly decent childhood. It was lonely and sheltered, but nice. I have never had any friends before." she stopped and thought for a minute. "Actually I had a friend for a little over a year. Her name was Felicity Davenport. We were inseparable. But when she found out I was a werewolf… it all went down hill."

"Do you have a godmother or godfather?" Michael asked

"What's your favorite color?" or food?" dominique smiled

"What's your biggest fear?" Ammon smirked

"Tell us about being a werewolf?" Hannah questioned

"Ok…" Emilia bit her bottom lip in thought. "My Godparents were James and lily potter, Harry's mum and dad, but they're dead. My favorite colors are pastel purple and turquoise. Favorite food is chocolate. I like flying and exploring the woods behind my house. I dislike cleaning. My biggest fear is biting someone and turning them into a werewolf. And being a werewolf? It's like sharing your mind with an animal. Moonlet is part of me. It's hard to explain-"

"- Who's Moonlet?" Ammon cut in

"All werewolves have a werewolf name. Mine's Moonlet. Anyways… I can smell people. Everyone has a natural scent. And I can smell if someone isn't fully human. Like- Hannah your smell is of licorice and salt. Michael you smell like vanilla and fresh parchment. Domino you smell of strawberries and flowery perfume. Ammon you smell like grass and dirt and broom polish. Apparently my scent is of chocolate, lavender, and werewolf. I have very good hearing and smell as well as sight. I can see well in the dark. And I think that's all? Oh yeah, I am dangerous, Domino. I get wolfsbane potion while i'm here at hogwarts. I get to keep my human mind and transformations aren't as painful. I get to keep memories of what happened the night before. Without wolfsbane I can hardly remember anything about the nights."

The friends were all silent. Everyone was deep in thought about Emilia's werewolf condition.

"I'll go next." Dominique paused. "My full name is Dominique Calista Morrison. I live in an apartment in london. I have a younger brother named Ivan Joshua Morrison. He's non magic. My mum and dad are muggles too. My mum (Candice Calista Morrison) is a librarian and my dad (Geoff Ivan Morrison) is a bank teller. My favorite color is hot pink or dark purple. My biggest fear is losing those I love. My favorite food? Probably pasta. And I'm not sure about wizarding candies but those pumpkin pasties from the trolley on the hogwarts express were good. I love reading. I tend to eat candy when i'm stressed. And i'm not sure what else i'm supposed to say?"

"How was your childhood?" Michael asked

"Very good. I loved watching cartoons on the telly and playing with dolls! And my parents are the greatest! My childhood was fantastic. And when I found out i was a wizard I was so excited! I had an explanation for the weird things that kept happening. Like when I tripped down the apartment stairs but instead of breaking something I bounced! And hogwarts seems like a place in my books. It's still a shock i'm here, a witch in a castle, meeting werewolves and fighting trolls."

Emilia smiled at her friend. Sometimes she forgot Dominique was muggle born. The friends sat in silence again, processing information.

"I'll go" Ammon offered. Once he saw his friends nods he started, "My full name is Ammon Thane Christiansen, he's an auror. My mum's name is Elsie Christiansen, she is in the wizard gamot. My dads Thane Christiansen. I have one older sister named Heather. She graduated hogwarts last year. She's in the beast division at the ministry. I think my older sister is my role model. I'm part of a halfblood family that has a lot of money (not to brag). My childhood was ok. I was sort of lonely until i was nine. That was when I met Michael and Hannah. My biggest fear is either dying or being tortured. My favorite food is any type of meat. Favorite color is red. I like flying my broom and I dislike cleaning. Is that all?" ammon finished with a smile.

"I think you covered everything…" hannah thought out loud.

"Your sister sounds cool" Emilia commented.

"I'm next" michael eyed Hannah, who gave him a thumbs up. "I'm going to be totally honest with you, so will hannah. I hope this doesn't change how you think of us…"

"- don't worry, it won't. You guys accepted me as a werewolf so i will accept you as you are." Emilia said reassuringly. Ammon put a hand on michael's shoulder.

"My name is Michael Donovan Rawlings. I have two sisters, one older sister Marcella Anne and one younger sister Marina Roxanne. So i'm in the middle. My mum and dad are Donovan Rawlings and Anne Rawlings. My dad has a very powerful position in the ministry and my mum used to work in a bookstore, now she just helps with the ministry. I'm from a highly respected pureblood family, and a long line of ravenclaws with some gryffindors. My mum and dad and older sister are all in ravenclaw. My older sister Marcella hasn't talked to me since the year started. We aren't close. I am related to the steere's and the malfoys and the potters other various pureblood families. As a pureblood we are taught how to address other purebloods. That's why me and hannah talk to malfoy really weirdly. My family isn't close…. Im sort of a disappointment so i'm mostly ignored. I had a lonely and sad childhood. I became really close to hannah because she was the only child I had met that really understood me. My older sister ignores me, my mum ignores me, my dad's to busy to give any of us (mum included) any attention. The only one who pays attention to me is my younger sister Marina. She is very smart and understanding. She's the baby of the family. My biggest fear is being abandoned by everyone. I love reading and wizards chess. I dislike it when people interrupt me when i'm reading. My favorite drink is tea. I like the colors dark blue and grey. And that's all." he finished quietly.

Emilia's heart went out to Michael. The poor boy whose family didn't care for him. How could such a smart, gentle, and funny guy go on being ignored? It's not fair.

Hannah put a comforting hand on Michael's shoulder. "I'll go." she said quietly. She looked afraid to share but she pushed that aside. When Hannah spoke her voice was full of determination. "I am Hannah Adelaide Samara Steere. I am the eldest in the most Ancient and Noble House of Steere. I have one younger sister named Madison Elvira Absinthe Steere. My father is Damon Steere and my mother is Adelaide Dahlia Steere. My father was one of the most loyal of You-Know-Who's death eaters. He knows You-Know-Who will be back and says he can't wait for the day. He's insane. My mother is a little crazy too. She was very close friends of Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy. I know the Malfoy family very well. I know many pureblood families. I cannot stand Draco Malfoy and when my mum forced me to befriend him I got scared. My mum wants me to marry him. I was being pressured into befriending at least one child but there was no one to befriend. Then I met michael. We both needed each other. And my mum approved the friendship. Although I'm still expected to Marry Draco. And I should tell you, at the beginning of the year I told you I didn't know the potions professor… I did. Of course I knew him. My father, being an insane follower of you-know-who, trained me and my sister to be dark and powerful killers. I never accepted his training, but I learned how to act like I loved it. I also picked up on a few things. Like how to scare anyone with a look, or how to make a good threat, how to properly torture someone, or What spells to use in order to get away from a murder scene. In these lessons me and my sister, Madison, Have been pinned against each other. We've been told that we wouldn't get out of a room until one of us had seriously injured the other. I've used magic before. Me and my sister would borrow our mother's wand while our father trained us. It was dark and brutal. My sister is the favorite because she follows these things. She's dark. She doesn't show emotion, she doesn't love, she's heartless. And she's only ten. I come from a very powerful pureblood family and a long line of only slytherins. When I left for hogwarts I was told that if I wasn't put in Gryffindor I would be a disgrace to the family. I had made up my mind that i wouldn't be put I slytherin no matter what. I hate my family and relatives. I hate them all. I don't want to follow the dark lord. I want to kill him for causing all this. I could have been somewhat normal if he never existed. I'm very slytherin, it's true. But because i felt so strongly about not being in slytherin the hat put me in gryffindor. There's no problem with slytherin house, but it's not for me." she stopped and let out a breath. She looked down at her hands for a minute. "I guess I should answer some normal questions… my greatest fear is having my father succeed in making me a cold and heartless servant of the dark lord. I don't want to serve voldemort. And I'm afraid of him. I've seen what he's done to people. I own an owl named charlie, he's up in the owlery. My favorite colors are emerald green and dark blue. I don't have a favorite food but I like blood pops and sugar quill candies. I like being with my friends and sneaking out, I dislike my family. And that's all."

When she finished the room was dead silent. No one moved or blinked. They all stared at Hannah in shocked.

Emilia cleared her throat. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry for leading them to the shrieking shack and discovering your secret. I broke our promise. I didn't even realise." Hannah frowned.

"It's ok. We've all made mistakes." Emilia spoke quietly. Everyone sat quietly for a little longer. It was dark in the room Emilia noticed. She couldn't believe she didn't notice it sooner. It was very dark and dusty where they were.

"We need to promise to stick together. No matter what we are like family. Because all of us need family here." Michael said. "Emilia only has her dad, Dominique had a family but no one she can connect with, Ammon has one older sister who's already moved out, Hannah has no one, and my family ignores me. We need each other."

Several nods were seen around the room. "I agree." Emilia spoke up. "We need a name. A group name."

"Ooh! Yes!" domino exclaimed "everyone in gryffindor calls Harry ron and hermione the trio or golden trio. We need a name!"

"The wanderers?" Michael said

Hannah thought for a second, "the spellcasters?"

"The giant squids" Ammon joked "or the manic mandrakes!" he laughed

"Shut up ammon those are awful" Dominique rolled her eyes. "The…. gryffindor squad?" she said. Everyone shook their heads.

Then emilia remembered. The map fred and george use is the marauder's map… she could have sworn she'd heard the name somewhere else before. But the name sounded cool! "How about the marauders?"

Ammon beamed. That sounds so cool! I swear i've heard my mom mention the marauders in her hogwarts year before…"

"I think i've heard it before too…. But it's on the map Fred and George use. So they must have been real people." Emilia said

"Then we'll be the second generation of marauders." Hannah smiled.

"Don't we have to make it official?" Ammon said. "Like do a blood oath or something?"

"Well we don't have to do a blood oath…" michael said

"Nah, a blood oath would be cool. But not now. After break maybe? When we are more prepared." Emilia said.

"Then it's settled." Hannah stood up. You guys should pack, the train leaves in an hour"

The friends walked out from behind the tapestry and down the hall. talking could be heard echoing down the corridor. Emilia was still trying to process some of this information. Hannah's dad was a death eater? She's done magic before? And Michael's family ignores him and doesn't love him as much as his sisters? That's awful. It's unfair! She promised herself she would be part of this friend family. She would do this for them. And it this friends group could help her a lot too. But she would stick with Hannah and Michael and Dominique and Ammon until the end. She was a marauder after all…

 **I meant to post this chapter two days ago but editing has taken longer than expected. Halfway through writing I kinda gave up on all grammar of capitalization. So that took a while to fix :) anyways I hope you enjoy this chapter! It was actually more fun to write than I thought it would be.**


	20. Chapter 20: Christmas Holidays

**Disclaimer: I may play around with the characters, but I don't own them. All rights go to JK Rowling.**

 ***Warning for mild swearing in the beginning of the chapter***

The wind swept through her sandy brown hair. The warm sun shone down on her as she smiled. Emilia couldn't remember being happier! She tightened her grip on her cleansweep as it dipped down closer to the water. Something about this seemed familiar. The lake she could recognize anywhere, this was the lake behind her house. A high pitched laugh filled with joy came from behind her. Emilia turned her broomstick around and saw her blonde haired friend from childhood flying behind her. Felicity Davenport was flying closer to her and smiling. Emilia decided not to question it. 'This must be a dream' she thought to herself. She laughed and soared higher and higher into the sky…

Slowly the scene ahead of her faded into darkness. Emilia opened her eyes and the blurry scene before her slowly came into focus. Her four poster bed could be seen in the dim lighting ahead of her. She wrapped the warm blankets tighter around her and curled up tighter, trying to preserve as much heat as possible in the cold room. Emilia gave a content sigh and snuggled deeper into her soft pillow. Sleep seemed to call to her but she held off the feeling. Today was special… but what was it? Her brain still seemed cloudy with sleep. She rolled to the side and closed her eyes. Maybe she should sleep in more? It was the holidays after all. She could sleep as long as she wanted.

Suddenly her bed shook with the force of someone jumping on it. Emilia yelped as her warm blankets were yanked out of grasp. The jumping increased more and more until emilia finally opened her eyes fully and looked to see who it was. What she saw surprised her. Hannah was jumping on her bed, holding Emilia's blanket out of reach.

"Hey! Bloody hell hannah you scared me!" Emilia shouted "gerroff my bed!"

Hannah laughed "get up! It's christmas! Comon!" she jumped off the bed and dropped the blanket back onto her friend.

The young girl's eyes got big with excitement. "It's Christmas!"

Sure enough as Emilia looked down there were a small pile of presents stacked at the foot of her bed. Hannah climbed onto emilia's bed with a present of her own in her hands. Emilia smiled "who are all the presents from? I usually only get one or two from Moony"

Hannah smiled "maybe from your friends? Just a guess. Maybe it's just the house elves instead" she teased

Emilia's smile got wider as she looked at her present hall. "All these for me?" She hastily ripped open the present from Hannah. Emilia smiled at the fingerless leather gloves in her lap. The certainly looked cool, the smooth black leather went a little past her wrists and on the back of the hands was the outline of a half moon. Emilia slipped them on and waved her hands around enthusiastically. These were great! "Thanks hannah!" she smiled at her friend, "open my gift!"

Hannah tore open her gift from Emilia and grinned. Emilia didn't really didn't know what to get her friends this year so she settled for getting everyone a mountain of candy. Apparently the candy was good enough.

Emilia sighed happily and flopped backwards onto her bed. She hadn't even had breakfast yet and this was already the best day ever. She got the gloves from Hannah, a broom polishing kit from Ammon, a book on broom tricks from Michael, a bunch of muggle candy from Dominique, wizard candy from Ron, a cool book on jinxes and hexes from Hermione, and a copy of _quidditch through the ages_ From Moony. Remus had also sent her Ipod she forgot to pack before school started. She had literally leaped off the bed in excitement once she saw her Ipod. she had been looking for that for months! Now she watched hannah open her last present, which she seemed hesitant to open for some reason.

"Who's it from?" Emilia glanced at the box in Hannah's hands. Hannah bit her lip as she looked down at the sleek polished black box in her hands.

"My parents." she said quietly. She sighed and slowly pulled off the lid. A shiny elegant silver dagger shimmered from inside the box.

Emilia gasped. She stared at the offensive object in shock and fear. Hannah looked at the dagger with wide eyes then shifted her gaze to emilia. Emilia's mind buzzed.. Why were her friends parent's giving her a dagger? And why did it have to be silver?

"You alright?" hannah spoke slowly, "I can put it away…"

"No it's alright. I'll be fine." Emilia said, still not taking her eyes off the dagger. "It's just- if it's pure silver it could… have some harmful effects per se."

Realization dawned on the other girls face, "right! I totally forgot silver can kill a werewolf!"

"Pure silver can. Most lethal would be a silver bullet, but i'm sure a dagger would hurt alot too." Emilia finally lifted her eyes from the glistening object to her friend's eyes.

"Would it help if I told you that i'm not planning on stabbing you anytime soon?" Hannah smirked

Emilia gave a small laugh. "True true. You most likely won't use that to stab your friends."

"As long as you don't cross my path then I won't kill you." she smiled innocently before putting the lid back onto the box and tucking it into her bed. "We should see what Ron and Harry got for christmas" hannah suggested. Emilia nodded and the girls got dressed before running downstairs.

Harry and Ron were already downstairs when the girls showed up. Harry and ron sounded excited about something but Emilia couldn't see what. As they got nearer Emilia noticed a weird cloak in harry's hands. That must be what they were talking about.

"Hey guys!" Emilia smiled as she flopped down into an armchair in front of harry. Hannah leaned against the arm of the chair and looked at the cloak curiously

"What's that, harry?"

Harry handed the cloak to hannah. "I don't know who gave it to me. There wasn't a name"

"Weird" hannah said, more to herself than anyone. She examined the cloak and handed it too Emilia.

"Try it on! It turns you invisible!" Ron shouted excitedly

Emilia's eyes got huge. "Invisible?! Can I try it on harry? Please?!"

Harry smiled at his friends excitement. "Sure Emilia"

The young girl hastily pulled the cloak around her and gasped. Her body was gone! She spun around and Hannah laughed. "It actually turns you invisible! Ron wasn't joking!"

"Of course I wasn't joking." Ron said proudly

"Oh we've **got** to try this out" Emilia sniggered. "Don't you guys have plans to sneak into the restricted section?"

"Hermione wants us to keep searching for Nicholas Flamel" Harry said

"Well heres your solution!" Emilia grinned "pull on the cloak to get in there!"

"Not a bad idea" Hannah supposed

"Not that this has anything to do with going into the restricted section, but how many people can you fit under here?" Emilia asked sweetly.

"I don't know" harry said honestly.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough" hannah said. "But soon we will use that cloak for something. And harry, I suggest using this for the restricted section." she said matter of factly.

"Now let's eat breakfast? I'm hungry!" Emilia whined. The four happily chatted about the cloak and it's origin's all the way to the great hall.

 **I feel like I haven't updated in forever! I blame school. I'll try to update sooner and anyways, thanks for your reviews, favorites, etc. they mean a lot to me!**


	21. Chapter 21: Animagi?

**Disclaimer: still don't own anything! And I never will.**

The sound of soft footsteps echoed down the dark corridor. Three students wandered the halls of Hogwarts in search for the library. Emilia sighed from under the invisibility cloak. None of them had any clue how to get to the library from here.

"Do any of you know where we are?" harry whispered.

"Um…" Emilia looked around for any familiar statues or paintings. "Sorry, I don't think so."

Hannah sighed, "I thought you said this was a shortcut?"

"It is!" Emilia said defensively. "we just took a wrong turn somewhere, I'm sure of it!" She scanned a large painting with a weird looking tree in it. "I might recognize that…"

"I recognize that too!" harry whispered, "this way"

The students walked down another long corridor, some steps, through a few more small hallways, and finally, the library entrance came into sight.

"Wow Harry, thanks" Hannah laughed, "no more short cuts from Emilia"

"Hey! Just get inside will you?" Emilia rolled her eyes and followed the other two into the library. The large bookshelves seemed almost inviting to the young girl. The smell of parchment and old books filled the air. The three Gryffindors slipped off the cloak and sped towards the restricted section.

"Wait" Hannah stopped right before they entered.

Emilia spun around. "Aren't you coming?"

"You two go on. I need a book."

Emilia looked at her friend for an explanation before giving up. It didn't sound like she wanted to explain herself just yet. Harry and Emilia walked amongst the darker bookshelves. This section had an eerie vibe to it -one that put Emilia on edge. The dusty floorboards creaked under the two students. Harry started browsing through the bookshelves in the dark. Emilia gently pulled out her wand and cast a Lumos charm before starting her search. A large green book caught her eye. It was gold lettering on the side that was too worn for her to read. She pulled the book off the bookshelf and opened the first page. Each page was thick and had tears in different places. The same gold lettering that was on the outside covered the pages and glittered in the light from her wand. The young girl looked at the book in awe.

A loud scream filled her ears. Emilia jumped and spun around to see where the noise was coming from. The book in harry's hands was screaming? How?! Emilia ran for the cloak as harry slammed the book shut. Two sets of loud footsteps were coming closer and closer and the two Gryffindors struggled to pull the cloak on. Hannah came around the corner silently and flew over to them. Emilia quickly pulled her under the cloak, along with the large green book she found earlier.

"You find your book?" Emilia muttered

"None of them would tell me what I wanted" Hannah mumbled as she took out her wand.

"What do you mean they wouldn't 'tell you what you wanted'? Were you trying to talk to them?" Emilia sniggered.

"Do shut up will you?" Hannah rolled her eyes "I wasn't talking to them, that seems like something you would try. Now be quiet because Filch is coming."

"I know," Emilia said quietly "I can smell people coming remember?"

"What do you mean you can smell-" but Harry was cut short by Hannah's silencing look

The old caretaker came into view as they neared the entrance of the library. His cat, Ms. Norris, came followed the old man into the library. She scanned the room with her yellow eyes before stopping where they were standing. The old cat arched its back and began making growling/hissing noises their way.

Emilia hated that cat. Ever since she got to Hogwarts that cat has hated her more than the other students. Emilia supposed it was because Ms. Norris knew she wasn't any normal student. Maybe the cat could sense her wolf side? It was the young girls best guess so she chose to stick with it. But this cat would not give them away! Not now when they were so close to getting out! Emilia pulled out her wand and cast a quick silencing charm on the annoying animal. The young girl smiled triumphantly as she heard the quiet laughing of her two friends behind her.

The three Gryffindors raced silently out of the library. Sadly their celebration was cut short. As Emilia looked around she realized that they were lost. _Really_ lost. Harry pointed out a familiar looking suit of armor, but the suit of armor looked like the ones by the kitchens. And Emilia knew they were nowhere near the kitchen.

The greasy voice of Filch came floating down the dark corridor. How did he get here so fast? "Filch" Emilia whispered to the two others. The three grew silent as the noises got louder.

"You asked me to come directly to you, Professor if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the library Restricted Section."

The three students paled at the words. Where ever they were, Filch must know a shortcut. She was so sure they had left him behind! To Emilia's horror, it was Snape who replied, "The Restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them."

Emilia was determined not to panic. The two adults came around the corner and started walking closer to the trio. Harry guided them over to a door that was slightly open. Somehow they managed to squeeze through the small gap. The two adults walked straight past, and Emilia leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. That had been close, very close. It was a few seconds before she noticed anything about the room she had hidden in.

A window brought in the moonlight from outside, making it easier to see than in the dark corridors. it looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket — but propped against the wall facing him was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way. It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. Emilia couldn't make out the writing on top: ' _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi_ '

Emilia and Hannah stepped back and allowed harry to look in first. From what Emilia could see, it was just a regular mirror. She saw harry standing in front, looking the exact same. A part of Emilia was disappointed it was a regular mirror. Why would there be a mirror here in the first place? But what else would it be? 'Of course, it has to be a regular mirror' she told herself.

Then harry gasped. He looked surprised as he touched the mirror. Emilia watched curiously as he looked over his shoulder and became disappointed. "Harry?"

He waved his hands around him as if he was trying to feel for something. Emilia started to worry as Harry stepped closer and closer to the glass, staring longingly.

"Harry are you alright?" Hannah asked slowly.

Harry looked over at them, his eyes full of unshed tears. "My parents…" he said quietly.

Emilia quietly walked over to her friend. "What do you mean?" she said slowly.

"They're here! I can see them in this mirror!" harry pointed to the mirror. Hannah walked over to where harry was standing and looked in. Her face softened as she stared at her reflection.

"Do you see them?" harry said excitedly

"I see my sister…." Hannah paused. "We're happy. We look… happy. Normal almost. My sister isn't dark here. She's…. She's actually smiling." Hannah started shivering and looked away. She stepped back and let Emilia see inside.

Emilia slowly crept towards the mirror, unaware of just what she would see. Instead of seeing just her reflection, she saw two tall figures on either side of her. Emilia gasped. She didn't know what to say! Her father stood on one side of her, smiling down at her. She smiled and looked to the left of her. A woman she didn't recognize stood there, with her hand on her shoulder. Emilia touched her shoulder but felt nothing. She gazed intently at the woman. She now knew exactly who this was. The long curly dark hair was the same as Emilia. Same with the face shape and smile, this woman was clearly her mother. Looking at herself compared to her two parents she could quickly make out the similarities she shared with both of them. She looked a lot like her father, but even more so like her mother. "Mum-" was all Emilia was able to say. She felt tears struggling to escape but she blinked them back. Emilia stared at the glass with joy, but also terrible sadness. She slowly backed away and let harry step in front, the picture of her mother still burning in her mind.

Two girls trudged into the empty dorm room. Both only had one thing on their minds- sleep. Emilia flopped down on her bed and let out a tired sigh. That mirror! Why did she see her mum in that mirror? Maybe it shows dead family members? But no, her dad was also there and Hannah saw her sister (who is very much alive). All Emilia knew was that she had seen what her mum looked like. Tall, dark curls going past her shoulders, tan skin, Emilia's same blue-grey eyes…. She had always wanted to see what her mum looked like.

Emilia suddenly sat up. Maybe that's what the mirror showed? Someone's deepest desire! She wanted her mum more than anything else. And harry wanted his parents and Hannah wanted… her sister to be happy? Or to have a connection with her sister? Emilia shrugged.

"Hannah," Emilia said "the mirror, it shows the person's deepest desire. Doesn't it?"

Hannah, who was laying on the floor, sat up with the sudden realization on her face. "It does!" there was a slight pause before Hannah said slowly, " _erised_ is _desire_ backward."

Emilia smirked. "How long do you think it will take Harry to realize that?"

"Not before he tells Ron" Hannah laughed. "Those two tell each other lots." the two sat in comfortable silence for a while before Hannah spoke up again, "what's that?" she pointed to a book beside Emilia. Emilia looked down at it curiously for a second before she remembered where it came from.

"I got it from the library. Before we had to run off" Emilia answered. "It was in the restricted section so I figured it must have something good in it"

Hannah laughed. "Come join me on the floor! It's not too bad down here"

Emilia sighed and sat on the floor with a blanket around her. They moved to the window so the moonlight could provide light to read the book. "What were you looking for in the library?"

Hannah bit her lip in thought. "Well, you know how you turn into a werewolf?"

"How could I forget?"

"Well, I figured you must feel alone with no one to be with…" Hannah went on slowly, "and I heard of an animagus and I thought I would look it up in a book. Because maybe us marauders could become animagi? It would help out with your transformations! Plus it would be pretty cool." silence followed.

Emilia didn't know what to say. She was deeply touched that not only did her friends accept her for what she was but wanted to help her out. She wanted to say yes. But something deep inside her was telling her no. it was too dangerous! She was a monster, a monster that could rip them all to shreds if anything happened. And they weren't old enough to do this either! They would have to do it illegally if they wanted to go through with Hannah's plan. It's too dangerous she reasoned. The young werewolf sighed. She was a monster. A horrible monster and she couldn't let her friends be killed. "No."

Hannah frowned. "Of course it's up to you Emilia. But are you sure you don't want help?"

"It's too dangerous." Emilia's bottom lip trembled and she looked down at her hands. "I'm a dangerous dark creature! What if I haven't taken my potion and I kill you? What if something goes wrong and you don't turn before I transform? And it's illegal anyways! I'm not letting you go against the law to help me with something I've been used to for a while now."

Hannah wasn't sure what to say. Emilia had a point, but Emilia couldn't deny that her wolf must be confused without some sort of pack. She was still a cub, wasn't she? Hannah had talked about it to Michael and he was very excited about it.

Hannah, deciding to change the subject, asked, "so what's the book about?"

Emilia pulled the book closer and opened it. It was so big it covered both the girl's laps. Emilia gazed down at it with admiration. "Something about this book is familiar. It might be the scents…"

"Have you ever seen this book before?" Hannah asked curiously

"No. at least I don't think so."

"Can you smell who used it?"

Emilia paused "sometimes. But only if they've had the book in their position for a long time, and when my sense of smell is really good. And of course, if I have the smell memorized."

"When is your sense of smell good?"

"Closer to the full moon" Emilia sighed. "The last full moon was a little too long ago and the next full moon won't be for a few weeks."

Hannah traced her fingers along the gold lettering. She had a slight hint of amusement behind her eyes and she looked like she was trying to hide a smile. "Did you know what this book was about when you picked it up?"

"No. the scent seemed familiar so I grabbed it. I didn't get a chance to read it." Emilia said.

"This is what I was looking for!" Hannah said excitedly. "All the other books only told me what animaguses are, not how to become one!" The blonde girl flipped through the pages until she reached a certain page with a large gold headline. ' _ **Process for Becoming an Animagus**_ '

Emilia groaned. "You don't give up do you?"

Hannah smirked and began reading. "It says there's a potion you brew… and part of this process you have to hold a mandrake leaf in your mouth for a month… seems easy enough so far."

"No, you're not risking your life for me!" Emilia said stubbornly she tried to close the book but Hannah pulled it to her side where Emilia couldn't reach.

"I'm trying to read" Hannah rolled her eyes and kept staring at the old pages.

Emilia huffed and wrapped her blanket tighter around her. If she was honest with herself, she didn't mind that they wanted to do this. She just didn't want to accidentally kill them. Accidentally or not, a death was a death and she could be forced to leave Hogwarts.

"Let's make a deal?" Emilia said quietly.

Hannah at her friend with suspicion but motioned for Emilia to continue on.

"I think it's wonderful that you want to help. It's probably the nicest thing anyone's done for me. But if I kill one of you, or worse yet, bite and turn you, then I'll be forced to leave Hogwarts. So… IF you did this… then you'd have to agree that you guys wouldn't even approach moonlet until you've mastered turning into an animagus. And we'd have to keep it a secret!" Emilia finished and closed her eyes. She didn't know what Hannah would say but she figured her friend would agree with her.

Hannah thought for a few seconds before responding, "I think it's reasonable. Then us marauders can become animagi then?" she said hopefully

Emilia sighed but answered, "yes."

Hannah wrapped an arm around Emilia. "This should be fun for you to watch!" she smiled "you don't have to hold a mandrake leaf in your mouth from full moon to full moon!"

Emilia giggled at the thought. This could be interesting after all.

 **Hello, dear readers! I've actually been doing research on different Patronus and animagus forms for her friends to become. I have some ideas but suggestions would be very helpful!  
**


	22. Chapter 22: Mandrake leaves

**Disclaimer: still don't own Harry potter or anything to do with it. Never have, never will.**

The halls were cold. Not that Emilia expected it to be any different- it was mid-January after all. The five marauders silently walked through the corridors of Hogwarts around midnight. Dominique was shivering and had a soft blanket wrapped around her. Emilia could tell she was still in her pajama pants. Hannah wore a long black winter cloak that completely covered her from the head down. Ammon wore a light sweater and jeans, Michael had on a thick jumper and dark pants, and Emilia wore her normal navy hoodie, dark skinny jeans, and black trainers. Emilia fidgeted with her wand nervously. Why were they going through with a blood oath again?

Finally, the group reached the secret room behind the tapestry. Everyone was nervous. Usually, it was hard to read Hannah but Emilia was getting better at it. They sat in a circle in the dark room and looked around nervously while Hannah finished writing on a piece of parchment.

"Alright." she began. Her voice was barely above a whisper and sounded hard as steel. "We aren't doing some official blood oath, but a simple one of our own. I haven't read up on oaths but I know enough-"

"Of course she knows enough" Dominique rolled her eyes and Emilia smirked

"Listen up" Hannah rolled her eyes in exasperation "this is serious. Now pay attention while I read this in case you have any objections." she took a deep breath and began: "I (say your name here) hereby declare myself part of the Marauders. I will protect and help all those in this group, I will risk my life for my fellow marauders, I will, am, and forever will consider myself part of this group and will die for what we stand for. I hereby take on the title of (again, say your name here), one of five marauders." Hannah looked up expectantly "does anyone disagree before we make it official?"

"Um yeah…" domino spoke up tentatively, "about the dying thing-"

"I have no problems with the dying part" Ammon said loudly and smiled

"Of course you don't Ammon" Michael smirked

"You have to be willing to die for us Domino" Emilia smiled kindly, "not too hard?"

"Easy for you to say!" Dominique scoffed. "We're only first years! What happens when something dangerous happens when we are older? What if we grow apart?"

Hannah smiled brightly "good point domino!" she scribbled something down and read aloud, "I will stick with my fellow marauders for as long as I live unless we have been seriously hurt by another."

Everyone nodded in agreement with the new addition. "What exactly do we stand for? What will we possibly be dying for?" Emilia asked

"I guess we come up with that" Michael shrugged

"I say we go against death eaters and all associated with you-know-who," Ammon said

"Isn't he dead?" domino asked

Emilia shook her head "many say he'll return someday. And I agree with Ammon." she smiled slightly at Ammon. He looked so dreamy, smiling like that… no! She had to snap herself out of it.

"We stand against… bullying?" Dominique suggested

"We can take it a step further and say discrimination of any kind," Hannah said. "No discriminating against werewolves and muggle borns especially"

"Ok so what now?" Michael asked.

Hannah held the paper in front of her and resumed her quiet and serious tone. "When the paper is passed to you, you'll read it out loud and then give a drop of blood to smear on it, along with your signature." she took a deep breath and recited what she had written, before signing it and giving a small drop of blood. The other four quickly followed.

"Ok Marauders!" Hannah said excitedly, "Me, Michael, and Emilia have talked things over. I think we should become animagi"

Ammon's face lit up immediately. "Really?"

Emilia sighed, "yes. Really"

Dominique just looked confused. "What an animagus?"

The next thing Emilia knew they group were sitting by the fire in the common room, reading the large green book Emilia stole. Emilia yawned and stretched out on the couch. Ammon and Michael sat on the floor in front of the fire, Hannah and the book occupied the armchair, and Dominique sat on the couch by Emilia. The four of Emilia's friends were fixed on what Hannah read but Emilia couldn't stay awake. She figured she didn't really need to know the steps right now anyways. Slowly as she lay there sleep started to consume. The young girl quickly fell into a dream filled sleep.

The next few weeks flew by. Because of the weather getting warmer Quidditch practice became more bearable. Whenever Emilia would write home she would be sure not to mention anything about their Animagi plans. She did, however, tell Moony that they found out about her furry problem. The school weeks were becoming more and more busy with homework piling up, quidditch practice intensifying and sneaking out to get ingredients for the animagi process.

Right now Emilia was struggling to contain her laughter. The marauders were gathered in the empty first-year boy's dorm. "So what's the cover story?" Emilia asked, still smiling like an idiot.

"You think this is funny" Dominique scowled. She was trying to stuff a mandrake leaf in her mouth. "Is this really necessary?"

"Yes." Hannah frowned. "The book says: ' _For the space of one entire month (from full moon to full moon), a single leaf from a Mandrake must be carried constantly in the mouth. The leaf must not be swallowed or taken out of the mouth at any point. If the leaf is removed from the mouth, the process must be started again.'"_ she set the book down and picked up her mandrake leaf.

Ammon eyed his with disgust. "What happens if we accidentally swallow part of it while eating?"

"It won't work," Michael said simply. "So DON'T-" he looked solely at common as he said, "swallow it. Under any circumstances!"

Dominique groaned as she pushed the leaf into her mouth. "Quit shmiling Emilia!"

Emilia couldn't hold it back anymore. The young girl howled in laughter. "Y-you sound… great domino!" she said between deep breaths. She giggled as she tried to get a grip.

Michael sighed. "We shound ridiculoush" he rolled his eyes as Emilia fell to the ground in laughter. He tried to use his tongue to push the top of the leaf back in, but the leaf was really big!

"Of coursh, she's laughing. She doeshn't have to do thish" Ammon grumbled.

Emilia clutched her side and slowly stood up, still shaking with silent laughter. "You guys sound hilarious!"

"Okay," Hannah said with her leaf in her mouth "we can't take theeshe out for a month. And we can't shwallow any part of the leaf"

Emilia desperately tried to stop her laughing. "Our cover story is that I messed up a spell for charms and it fired at Dominique and Hannah and made a plant grow in their mouths. Ammon tried to fix it but he accidentally got the effects. He doesn't know how he did it and Michael was standing by him when he did it. Because I thought it was too funny, I chose not to help you guys. Oh, and Madame Pomfrey said it will wear off by the next full moon!" she finished with a wide smile.

"Ok, but how are we shupposhed to shpeak in clash? Or pronounsh shpells?" Dominique frowned.

"We'll figure shat out when we get there," Ammon said confidently.

"I will forever remember this day" Emilia shook her head and smiled. "Please never let me forget this day"

The month turned out to be more challenging than the students had anticipated. Not only did they have to worry about speaking in class, but how to properly eat. The first meal they had with their leaves was one of the funniest sights Emilia had ever seen. Hannah, Michael, and Dominique had settled with eating soft foods like soup, but Ammon would not give up. He tried to eat normal foods and push his leaf to the side but his leaf was too big to do so. Emilia had an easy time forgetting about her crush on Ammon while he looked like a cow trying to chew bubblegum.

Emilia walked to the shrieking shack early tonight. Her friends were busy with the next step of the process. They had to put their leaf into a glass vial along with one of their hairs, a silver teaspoon for dew collected from a place that neither sunlight nor human feet have touched for a week and a chrysalis of a Death's Head moth. Emilia was glad she wasn't doing it but felt left out at the same time. She entered the shrieking shack and thought back to classes over the past month. Classes were much more interesting when her friends could barely talk correctly. She thought back to a particular Potions class towards the beginning of the month...

 _The forgetfulness potion seemed easy enough. Or that's what Emilia had thought at least. She was paired with Dominique, which was hard enough without her friend speaking properly._

 _"Stir sheshen timsh clockwish," Dominique said quietly_

 _Emilia stared at her friend for a moment. "What?"_

" _Sheven timsh clockwish!" She said exasperatedly. She grabbed one of the ingredients and started chopping it into fine bits._

 _Emilia stodd there for a few seconds with no clue what she was supposed to do. She thought she had said asphodel, but she could also want here to stir the potion. Emilia shrugged and decided on doing both. It couldn't hurt, could it? She added the indgrediant and started stirring clockwise._

" _Whasht are you doing?" Dominique yelped_

 _"What you said to!" Emilia said defensively_

 _"I shaid to shtir!" Dominique ground out "your going shto ruin it!"_

 _Emilia rolled her eyes. "You're so worried about your grades. Loosen up a bit!"_

 _Dominique sent her a glare and pushed the book in front of her. "Fine you read and I'll shtir"_

 _Emilia mumbled about potions and friends before finally reading the next instructions, "Add 2 Valerian sprigs to your cauldron"_

" _Rightsh now or ish itsh ashter it finishesh cooling offsh?" she asked_

 _Emilia stood with her mouth open a bit. What in merlin's name did she say? How was she supposed to answer? "Um… yes?"_

 _Dominique nodded and added in the ingredients. A large_ _ **bang**_ _was heard throughout the classroom and a murky gray potion started eating away at Emilia's table and potions book. Emilia flinched at the loud noise and domino let out a small scream. Quickly the potions professor was at their table and had cleaned up the potion with a wave of his wand._

" _Ten points from Gryffindor for disrupting my classroom" he scowled "and your scores for today are zeros"_

 _Emilia barely resisted the urge to say something back. "Yes sir" was all she said_

 _"Yesh shir" Dominique said quietly then froze._

 _Emilia looked up at her friend, alarmed. Her professor seems to have noticed the weird answer too._

" _What was that Miss Morrison?" he stared at Dominique with an unreadable expression._

 _Dominique opened her mouth to say something but Emilia beat her too it. "She can't talk that well professor. She has a plant growing in her mouth…?" Emilia paused to think about that last sentence._

 _"A plant?" he said. He definitely seemed unconvinced Emilia noted._

 _"Well, it was my fault actually. I was trying to practice charms but I was tired and messed the spell up horribly. I don't know what I said but I missed the pillow and hit Dominique and Hannah." Emilia said quickly. She desperately hoped Snape would believe her._

 _"Miss. Steere too?" he quirked an eyebrow at the blonde first year who answered "yesh shir". He turned his gaze back to Emilia "Was anyone else affected by your clumsy work, miss Lupin?"_

 _"Ammon and Michael, sir."_

 _"Indeed. You five stay after class" and with that, he turned on his heel and stalked to the front of the room._

 _Once the class had ended, the five students slowly packed up and watched as the other students filtered out of the class. The group walked up to their professor's desk._

 _"Explain," he said silkily_

 _"Well, it's a bit of a long story, sir," Emilia said weakly. She knew she wasn't the best at lying and hoped beyond hope she could make snape believe her. When the professor looked at her for an explanation she sighed. "I was practicing charms late at night earlier this week. I don't know what I said but apparently, I messed the spell up pretty bad. It hit Dominique and Hannah and then this plant started growing in their mouths." she stopped and took a breath. No one said anything so she kept going. "We hurried and got Ammon and Michael but Ammon didn't know what he was doing and…. Well, he somehow duplicated the curse and hit himself along with Michael with it. I didn't want to try and fix it and chance having the same thing happen to me." she forced herself to look sheepish._

 _"Did you not think to take them to the hospital wing and have madame Pomfrey help?" he said in an accusing tone._

" _W-we did!" she swallowed hard. "It was much bigger before! She managed to shrink it but she says it won't go away for about a month!"_

 _Snape quirked an eyebrow at her. "Did she now?"_

" _Yes?" Emilia bit her lip. "It really happened professor!" she hated the pleading tone she used._

" _Is this true?" he looked at the others darkly_

" _Yesh shir" they mumbled._

 _"Typical Gryffindors. Another ten points from Gryffindor lupin, for you clumsy wand work. You may leave"_

 _The students hurried out of there afterward. They didn't want to be with the potions master longer than they had to._

Emilia rolled her eyes at the memory. Why couldn't she be a good liar? Why had snape even let them go after that? All the young girl could do now was sit and wait for the painful transformation.

 **Greetings dear readers! I'm still up for suggestions on animagus forms. can you believe I got this chapter done so soon after the last one? anyway, thanks for your reviews they mean a lot too me!**


	23. Chapter 23: Minks Are Cool Too!

**Disclaimer: See literally any chapter before this. Disclaimers are on them all!**

The electrical storm came sooner than any of the marauders expected. It was if they were meant to become animagi! It could have waited until after charms though…

Emilia tried and tried but just couldn't master the severing charm. "Diffindo" she muttered angrily "diffindo! Diffindo, dangit!" she smacked her wand against the cloth but nothing happened.

"Emilia, I thought I told you how to do it" Michael rolled his eyes. "Tap it more gently"

"It's not my fault!" Emilia said defensively, "it's the type of cloth! It just doesn't rip."

Of course, that was the exact moment Ammon got his cloth to rip a bit. "Pure luck" Emilia mumbled.

"Try this," Michael touched his wand gently against the cloth in front of him. "Diffindo" the cloth slowly ripped as the dragged his wand down the length of it.

Emilia let out a frustrated growl. "I can do that."

Michael smirked "then do it"

"Fine!" Emilia straightened her posture and pointed her wand at the cloth aggressively. "DIFFINDO!" she growled. A loud ' **CRACK'** shook the room. Emilia jumped. She stared at her cloth but nothing had happened! "What was that?"

A peal of thunder that seemed to shake the very ground made Dominique yelp. Michael burst out laughing, "did you think that was your wand? I think it was lightning!"

"Emilia scowled at her friends before realizing something. "An electrical storm!" she shook Michael sleeve to get him to listen.

Michael seemed to realize it too. "Hannah!" he got Hannah and Ammon's attention. "Electrical storm! Get Dominique!"

"How do we get out of here? Cause I'm coming with you!" Emilia whispered

"You girls get out first, that way it doesn't look like we are all leaving at once," Michael whispered back.

'Think Emilia think!' she searched her brain for a possible excuse. Then an idea popped into her head. "OW! My hand!" she yelled. Some students turned and looked her way as she pretended to hold back tears. "I missed the cloth and hit my wrist!" she hollered.

Professor Flitwick cast her a sympathetic look. "Miss Steere, will you escort Miss Lupin to the hospital wing?"

Thankfully Hannah caught on to Emilia's plan. "I-I don't remember exactly how to get to the hospital wing professor." she gave a sheepish look.

Before the charms professor could answer Dominique stood up. "I'll show them the way Professor!" the three students hurried out of the classroom.

"That was kinda close. We need to improve our lying skills" Emilia said.

"Speak for yourself" Hannah laughed. "I thought I did well!"

After a few minutes of anxious waiting, Michael and Ammon emerged from down the hall. "Hurry up! We don't have much time!"

"Glad to see you too" Ammon rolled his eyes. "I said I forgot my library book in our last class. He let Michael come with me to get it"

"He definitely noticed something was up," Michael said. "We don't have much time. Let's go!"

The students rushed up to the Gryffindor boys dormitory. They knew this would be a safe place to transform because everyone was still in class. They grabbed their vials and headed to the middle of the room. The vials now held a thick red potion that looked a lot like blood.

"I just thought of something!" Ammon said. "Why can girls come to boys dormitory but the boys can't go to the girls?"

"Does that really matter right now?" Dominique almost yelled. Emilia could tell the stress of the situation was getting to her.

"Say the spell and take it!" Emilia encouraged excitedly

"What about you? What if something goes wrong and we can't get back?" Hannah frowned.

"I can take care of myself," she said much more confidently than she felt.A

Several 'Amato Animo Animato Animagus' spells were said in unison.

"Ok guys, this is it," Dominique said nervously. "We drink in 3… 2… 1…"

Emilia watched anxiously as her friends downed the potion. Then Domino cried out in pain. And fell down onto all fours and began wailing in pain. Hannah whimpered before falling to her knees.

"Oh, merlin!" Ammon shouted. "It said pain! I didn't think it be this intense!" he cried out and doubled over. Michael was moaning and clutching his chest. His eyes were firmly shut. Emilia hopped up onto Michaels bed and watched with sympathy. After about a minute her friends had appeared to have blacked out. Emilia, who was very confused, Watched curiously as some of her friends started to wake up out of their daze and transform.

Michael was the first to start his transformation. He began to shrink to the ground and grow fur! Within seconds an adorable dark brown mink sat panting on the floor. Emilia giggled and turned her attention to the others.

Hannah was the next to transform. She too shrunk down, but instead of growing fur, she grew feathers! A whitish buzzard flapped its wings and looked up at Emilia. Hannah walked around a bit before going over to Michael. She chirped at her friend and Michael squeaked back. Emilia giggled at their interaction until she heard a deep growl from beside her. She jumped and took in the lion beside her. Dominique was a lioness!? The lioness opened its mouth into a weird half smile. Emilia started laughing and realized it was probably hard for lions to smile.

She watched as Ammon finished his transformation into a Black bear. It suited him. Ammon tried out walking with Dominique by his side. They stumbled and leaned against each other while trying to master walking with four legs. The black bear fell over sideways with a **thud!** Emilia burst out laughing as Michael the Monk (who almost got crushed by a black bear) started hissing and screeching at his friend. Hannah tried out her wings but couldn't quite get the hang of it. She flew up into the air before falling sideways and landing on Dominique's back. The lion gave a small purr and let the buzzard down.

Finally, after more practice, The group turned back to their old selves. "I'M A LION! I'M A LION!" Dominique jumped up and down excitedly. Emilia laughed at her reaction.

"Technically it's a lioness" Michael corrected. "And why am I a weasel!?"

Hannah smiled "I think, Michael, that you're actually a mink"

"Michael's a tiny mink!" Ammon laughed. "and I'm a bear!"

"Hey, minks are cool too!" Michael said defensively. "Even more so than bears!"

Emilia sighed. Seeing how excited they were (and how much practice they still need being animals) she really felt like she should let them be with her the next full moon. "How would you guys feel if you were with me next week? When I transform?"

The room went quiet. Hannah and Michael looked surprised, Ammon looked excited, and Dominique was thinking about it.

Emilia swallowed hard. Maybe they didn't want to just yet? It would make sense if they were worried, after all, she is transforming into a werewolf. It's very dangerous being around someone transforming. Emilia mentally slapped herself for being so stupid. Why would they want to be there? They had only just morphed for the first time today!

"Are you serious?" Hannah asked.

"I mean if you don't want to… I totally get it. You need for time to transform and it's dangerous, and I'm a dark creature who could easily kill you, and something could go wrong, and it's ok! I get it! Totally understand that you don't! It's super dangerous-" Emilia was cut off her rant when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw Hannah smiling.

"We would LOVE to!"

Dominique started cheering with Michael. Hannah playfully punched Emilia's arm and Emilia laughed a little. Ammon had transformed back and was running around the room excitedly. "Ok ok!" Emilia laughed as Ammon tried to get her to ride him. "But be careful! And I'm not getting on your back Ammon!" the bear grunted and started running around the room again, making everyone start laughing.

Tonight was the night. Emilia moaned into her pillow as a wave of nausea swept over her weak frame. The young girl was having a hard time sitting up on her own. She had a feeling this would be one painful transformation. Some full moons were worse than others. Without her friends here tonight she might try to attack herself. She could feel her wolf side struggling to be free.

"Emilia?" a small voice beside her four poster bed snapped her out of her thoughts. "Emilia are you alright? We should head down to the shack now"

Emilia just grunted in acknowledgment. She really didn't feel like getting up but knew she must. Slowly the small girls pushed herself off the bed and by a mirror. She shook her head vigorously to turn her green messy hair into the usual sandy brown waves. Her pale face and bloodshot eyes made her cringe.

"Common Emilia" she allowed her anxious friends to pull her further towards the shrieking shack. All the marauders were excited for tonight. All except one. Emilia couldn't be more nervous for this night! What if she hurt someone? She had taken the Wolfsbane potion but what if something went wrong? And what about Madame Pomfrey? She usually came to help Emilia to the hospital wing in the mornings. She shivered at the thought of biting one of her friends.

As they climbed into the passage Emilia felt faint. Her legs trembled under her weight. She moaned and leaned on Ammon for support. As she took another step her legs completely gave out. Ammon caught her upper arm just in time and helped her back onto her feet. Emilia's mind soared as Ammons arms wrapped around her and helped her keep walking. "Thank you" she whispered hoarsely. She leaned into him and they kept walking until they reached the upstairs bedroom of the shrieking shack.

The group sat in a circle, speaking quietly to not hurt Emilia's ears. Dominique and Hannah whispered back and forth but Emilia knew what they were saying. At least they were excited about the moon coming up. Ammon was sitting by Emilia and making sure she was alright and Michael was pacing by the doorway. Michael looked very nervous. But there was a hint of amusement or happiness in his eyes. Emilia started doing deep breaths and clearing her mind. It wouldn't do well to think about the upcoming pain. "Transform! Now!" she choked out as a dull ache started in her chest.

That was when it hit. White hot excruciating pain coursed through her veins. She screamed. Emilia let out a heart-stopping scream like no other. Uncontrollable tears streamed down her cheeks and she doubled over in pain. She clutched her sides as they throbbed and moved around. Her bones were breaking and rearranging themselves. She made a noise like a wounded dog as the transformation continued. Her face stretched out to become a snout, her ears shifted to the top of her head and become wolf ears. The young girl whimpered and cried as the agony continued for a few more seconds. Then it was quiet.

The small werewolf cub lay curled up on the dusty floor. Moonlet tried to take control. Emilia fought back in her mind as hard as she could. Thankfully the Wolfsbane potions kept moonlet from completely taking over. Emilia was herself except for having her wolf instincts. The young pup sat up tiredly and feelings of loneliness came to her head. She wanted a pack! Or at **least** her alfa! Moonlet looked up and stared confusedly at the animals surrounding her before her memories came flooding back. A new pack! The wolf yipped for joy at the thought. The bear, the lion, the mink, and the buzzard, were now part of her pack. It was as if something she had lost now came back to her. She felt mostly complete. Mostly. Now Moonlet just wanted her alpha and mate. But there was no way she was going to tell Ammon about the soulmate thing!

She stood up on four shaky paws and inspected the animals before her. A shaggy brown bear stood by her with its mouth open. Moonlet sniggered at his attempt to smile. She wasn't quite as tall as the Ammon the bear but knew that with time she would be. Werewolves were bigger than lions and bears after all. She heard the flapping of wings before feeling Hannah the buzzard land on her back. A soft ticklish small brown furry thing was running underneath her and Emilia sniggered again at Michael's excitement. A loud roar shook the room and Everyone turned to Dominique the lioness who looked around sheepishly at the noise. They spent the night chasing each other around the house and wrestling on the dusty floorboards. The rough play turned out to be good for the other animals, they got better control of their animals selves.

 **Hello, dear readers! I hope you liked the chapter! I've been getting more time to write these chapters so I've been updating the story faster. Thank you for your suggestions on what Animagus forms they should take. (I'm speaking to you specifically, MysticFire101)Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing and so on. It means so much to m** **e!**


	24. Chapter 24: Another Werewolf?

**Disclaimer: I STILL don't own anything to do with Harry Potter (big surprise, I know). All rights go to J.K. Rowling.**

Emilia buried her face in her hands. From her spot on this boulder, she could look out at her friends transforming. They had been practicing their transformations into and out of their animagus forms. But Hannah still couldn't fly straight and Ammon took at least five minutes to fully transform into a bear. Now Dominique was sitting on the ground and starting to freak out as only her front half turned back to human.

"What do I do? I'm still part lion!" she wailed.

"Can't you turn back? Try to focus Domino!"

"It's not working!"

Ammon the bear got up from his spot on the ground to go and comfort Dominique. Halfway to Dominique's side the bear's massive paws twisted around his legs and he fell over. A loud hiss from Ammon's side meant that he had, once again, almost crushed Michael the mink. The mink jumped up onto the bear's stomach and began hissing and screaming at the bears smiling face. But because bears can't smile too well Ammon had his mouth opened stupidly, making Emilia giggle.

"Alright you two," she called to the boys. "Dominiques needs help. Quit messing around"

Ammon let out a grunt of annoyance and pushed off the mink.

"What did you do? Didn't you transform back normally?" Michael asked as he brushed the dirt off his shirt after transforming.

"We've gotta head back to the castle soon" Hannah reminded. "Someone's going to notice if we keep coming back after curfew."

"Of course Hermione will notice. She notices everything. What about Domino?" Emilia gestured toward Domino who was desperately trying to somehow walk with lion legs. The poor girl looked on the verge of tears.

"We could ask McGonagall? She's an animagus! She'd understand!" Ammon suggested

"Great idea Ammon," Emilia said sarcastically. "So if she doesn't already know what we're doing, we can confirm her suspicions! Did you forget we're illegal animagi?"

Ammon shrugged before Emilia saw realization dawn on him. "What do you mean 'if she doesn't already know what we're doing?'"

"She's an animagus! How wouldn't she know what we were doing? With the leaves and leaving class for those spells and this whole process. She had to have known something was up." Emilia said. She was pulled out of her rant by Dominique's cheering. Apparently, she had gotten back to her human self.

"We should head back to the common room. Are you sure you don't want us with you tonight?" Hannah frowned at Emilia.

Emilia nodded sadly. She had told them yesterday she didn't want them with her tonight. They couldn't transform completely and needed more time to practice. So tonight she would go through her transformation alone.

As Emilia walked into the shrieking shack she realized it had been a whole month of her friends being animagi. She smiled to herself, she had amazing friends. How many people would change into animagi to help a friend they met a few months earlier? A friend who also happened to be a werewolf! She sat alone in the dusty room and decided to take a risk tonight. No student would be out at night and she still had her human mind… she made up her mind. With a sly smile on her face, she decided she would roam the forbidden forest tonight while in werewolf form. She could feel Moonlet jump in excitement. This somewhat disturbed the younger girl, but it wasn't something she wasn't used to. The wolf inside her thrashed around inside just before the transformation, wanting to be let free. She could tell moonlet wasn't happy about being suppressed on the full moon nights. Moonlet wanted blood and she was being denied.

A wave of nausea hit the young girl hard. She bent over and clutched her chest as a fiery burn spread throughout. The felt her arms crack and shift. The pain! Oh, the pain was unbearable! She heard a scream in the distance and it took her a moment to realize she was the one screaming. The screams slowly turned to howls as she transformed. The once beautiful young girl was now a wolf. A werewolf.

With one last final howl of pain, the cub curled into a tight ball and started shaking. She tried to recover from the change as the pain ebbed away slowly. Moonlet wobbled a little as she stood. Her vibrant amber eyes stared ahead determinedly. To the forbidden forest!

The forest was better than the cub could have imagined! The calming scents of pine and evening dew flooded her senses and made the cub sigh in contentment. She raced between the trees and dodged bushes. The cub yipped in excitement as she cleared a fallen tree. She trotted around a small clearing and rested in the bushes at the side.

Moonlet sighed with happiness as she lay under the green bushes. From her clearing, she could see the stars shining down on her. Their sequin silver stars looked like scattered moondust across the sky. A few birds flew by and squirrels scurried past but nothing dangerous came by her. She let the smell of mist and earth envelope her and she smiled. Deep earth, dirt, pine, mist, and wolf. Wait…. Werewolf? Moonlet crouched low in the bush and scanned the area. There was definitely another werewolf close by. A wolf she didn't recognize came out into the clearing. It had graying black fur riddled with scars. The wolf was over twice her size and was missing an ear. Its vibrant amber eyes locked onto her own and it bowed its head.

Moonlet sat up and came out from her hiding place. The other wolf's eyes never left her own as she slowly advanced forward. This was her territory now! This wolf would have to go. She let out a deep growl at the intruder. Instead of a growl back it looked at her curiously.

The older wolf slowly inched closer and closer to moonlet until they were face to face. He gave a grunt and nudged the younger wolf's shoulder. A friendly gesture. This older wolf had no desire to make her part of his pack… yet. This didn't necessarily mean he was a friend, however. The older wolf sat in the middle of the clearing and looked up at her expectantly, as is inviting her over.

Moonlet paused. This was the first werewolf besides Moony that she had ever interacted with. He was nice, but where did he come from? And who is he? And he doesn't have wolfsbane… but for some reason, he seemed familiar. Maybe not familiar but something in Moonlet wanted to trust him. She was only a cub and could easily be made a part of his pack. She had her own pack though! But her cub instincts gravitated to trusting him so moonlet carefully crept over to the black wolf. She lay just out of reach of the older wolf and closed her eyes. The cold night air made moonlet shiver and curl up tighter.

She heard rustling noises come from the older wolf next to her. Suddenly her sense of smell was enveloped by this wolf's scent. Her eyes snapped open and she found herself snuggling with the older wolf. He had wrapped himself around the cub, keeping her warm and safe. Moonlet smiled a little. This was what Moony would do back at home. She snuggled further into the older wolf's chest and closed her eyes…

Emilia sat up abruptly. She rubbed her tired eyes and shook her head, returning her hair from purple back to a sandy brown. She immediately regretted this action and clutched her aching head. She scooted back against the wall of the shrieking shack. What had happened last night? She remembered the clearing and peacefulness, she remembered the beautiful stars, and then she remembered the other werewolf. Who was that? And why had moonlet been so quick to trust the wolf? She had never seen the wolf in her life! She pulled her sweatshirt on and grabbed her shoes. All to do now was wait for Madame Pomfrey so Emilia could rest in the hospital wing. Ah sleep, it sounded so nice right now. She reached into her sweatshirt pocket to grab her wand when she felt something else. She pulled out a small note from inside her sweatshirt pocket. What was this? She didn't write this… and this wasn't her friend's handwriting either. She slowly read:

 _Rest well today young one. Meet me next full moon in the same clearing._

Instead of a signature, it had a large pawprint of a werewolf. Emilia read the note over and over making sure it was real. So there was another werewolf in the forest? Well whoever it was, Moonlet trusted him. And Emilia didn't know why.

 **Hello, dear readers! It's a short chapter but an important one. Next chapter will be more on this mysterious wolf. Thank you for reading and thank you for your reviews, favorites, etc. they mean a LOT to me!  
**


	25. Chapter 25: Convel's pack

**Disclaimer: Guess what? I still don't own Harry Potter. So All rights go to** **J** **. K. Rowlin** **g.**

The weeks seemed to fly by. Spring had arrived and that meant much harder Quidditch practices. Emilia had thought that the upcoming match with Hufflepuff would be no sweat. That was until Oliver Wood had told them who was going to referee the match. None other than Snape.

"If Gryffindor beats Hufflepuff," Wood said while the team was gathered in the locker rooms. "Then Gryffindor moves on to play Slytherin."

"But if snape's refereeing he would be biased! He doesn't want Gryffindor to win!" Emilia shouted.

"He'll give penalties for anything!" Angelina said

"Then we don't give him a reason to give penalties. We play a clean game" Wood said.

That turned out to be harder than the team thought. Emilia liked playing against Hufflepuff. They were fair and good sports. But Gryffindor was penalized by Snape for every small thing. He obviously favored Hufflepuff. George Weasley hit a bludger at Professor Snape and Emilia laughed so hard she almost fell off her broom. In the end, Harry caught the Snitch in record time and Gryffindor won the match. And the party afterward was epic! Emilia quickly started to warm up to Gryffindor house parties in the common room.

Classes went fairly well too. Emilia learned she absolutely sucked at potions and couldn't stay awake in history of magic. Emilia and Hannah had taken to passing notes during history of magic while Ammon slept and Dominique doodled on spare bits of parchment. Michael ended up taking notes in the class and the friends would usually use his notes for their homework. Transfiguration was hard but Emilia was good at it. Charms was a fun subject, Herbology was entertaining, astronomy was interesting, but out of all her classes, she liked defense against the dark arts best. The dark arts and spells and dangerous magical creatures fascinated her. The teacher, Professor Quirrell, sucked. He was always stuttering and his room smelled like garlic. Emilia and the twins played a pretty good prank on Quirrel. It was involving the water jets Emilia had used this last summer.

As the Next full moon approached Emilia was, for once, a little excited. The Marauders hadn't had time to practice much this month on animagus transformation. And because Ammon still had trouble walking, Hannah couldn't fly very long, and Dominique was having trouble transforming back, they wouldn't be with her this month either. Michael seemed to have the hang of his mink form and had fun running and riding on Ammon and Emilia's shoulders and backs. One Thursday morning Michael had turned into a mink and rode to breakfast in Emilia's book bag. But because her friends weren't coming she would get to meet the mysterious wolf again. Moonlet couldn't wait but Emilia was apprehensive. Who was he? Where did he come from? And did he want to make her into one of his pack? She was just a cub after all and would be an easy target.

As the young girl sat against the dusty wall of the shrieking shack she could feel Moonlet clawing to get out. To get free. It wouldn't happen of course because Emilia had taken wolfsbane potion. The cold wind outside howled and rattled the old cracked windows. As the young girl looked out the dusty window panes she saw the sun completely set behind the horizon. She had about twenty seconds. She clenched her hands into fists, took deep breaths, closes her eyes, anything to relax before the pain hit. She thought of her friends, of home, of Moony. Oh, how she missed Moony. But nothing she thought of could keep her mind off the nausea that washed over her. A fiery pain started from her chest and spread throughout her body until it reached her toes. Her head throbbed, her chest ached, she was too weak to open her eyes, she opened her dry mouth and howled in pain. Her bones snapped and shifted, her hands turned to paws, fur grew everywhere… then it was done. The small wolf cub curled up and whimpered from the lingering pain.

Slowly the cub sat up. She looked around at the old shack and sighed. She was a lone cub. Her pack wasn't here. She was such an easy target. Moonlet slowly trudged outside into the cold night and towards the clearing. She was so tired but her feet kept moving beyond her control. Why was she so tired? The wolf cub wondered. Her stomach gave a loud growl and she now knew why. She was so hungry! Because of her nausea today she hadn't eaten anything!

Moonlet finally reached the clearing. She slowly walked to the middle, scanning her surroundings and sniffing for any signs of the other wolf. Moonlet sat down and peered at the bushes curiously. The cub could smell the older wolf, but she did not see him. the smell got stronger and stronger and Moonlet crouched low into the soft ground. Where was the older wolf?

A soft bark from right behind her made the young cub jump. She spun around and saw the older black wolf shack in laughter. Moonlet huffed and backed away a bit. Once she was just out of reach she sat down across from the werewolf and stared expectantly.

The older wolf circled around her, sizing her up. Moonlet now had a better look at him. He had shaggy black fur that was matted in a few places. She was missing an ear and had a few long white scars running down his face, chest, and legs. Once particularly long scar reached from his shoulder down to the wolf's hip. But past the scary appearance, he seemed friendly and trustworthy. Obviously, the wolf knew how to take care of wolf cubs. 'He must have a pack' moonlet thought.

The cub's stomach growled fiercely again and she whimpered in hunger. The larger wolf immediately stopped circling and retreated back into the woods. Moonlet lay down and watched him go. What now?

Fifteen minutes past and Moonlet wondered whether to leave or not. The older wolf most likely wasn't coming back. Maybe she could get warm in the shrieking shack? But a rustling in the bushes snapped her out of her thoughts. She sat up and glared at the bushes, warning whatever was there not to come closer. A soft bark came from behind the bush and the older wolf appeared with a rabbit in its mouth. Moonlet stared hungrily at the animal. In her wolf form, that would be a good meal. To Moonlet's surprise, the rabbit was tossed in front of her. The older wolf nudged in closer to her and looked at her expectantly.

He wanted her to eat. That was obvious. But should she? Or was this some type of mean joke? Maybe it had rabies and he was trying to kill her! Moonlet sniffed the animal a bit then looked back up at the wolf.

The black werewolf seemed to sense her thoughts. He walked over and tore a bite off the rabbit. Emilia shrugged and began to eat, devouring the whole animal in a few bites. Now that she was feeling better, she decided to test this stranger. She got down low and acted as if she wanted to sleep. The older wolf came closer, as she expected, then without warning, she pounced on him.

The older wolf barked in alarm before realizing the cub was simply playing. The two rolled around until Moonlet thought she had him pinned. The older wolf quickly flipped around and had the cub pinned to the ground instead. Moonlet barked and snapped her jaws at the wolf. No matter how hard she struggled she wasn't strong enough to push the bigger werewolf off. The older wolf let her up and they lay down together in the clearing. Moonlet slowly fell asleep beside the bigger wolf who was keeping watch…

When Emilia woke up she was back in the shrieking shack. Her head throbbed and she groaned. The pain! Her whole body ached so bad she couldn't sit up. Emilia lay on her back and closed her eyes. But as she listened she could hear someone else here with her.

"How do you feel?" a gruff voice spoke from the other side of the room. Emilia slowly opened her eyes and saw a strange man. Shaggy black hair and tired green eyes. He had scars on his arms (and probably the rest of him). He looked around 30 or 40 and he was missing an ear. This was definitely the werewolf from last night. "Are you alright?"

Emilia shook her head no. she closed her eyes again and realized just how helpless she was right now. Her wand was in her sweatshirt, which was at the other side of the room. This man was already on his feet! A very experienced werewolf… who was coming toward her! She stood up abruptly and faced the older man. 

"Relax," he said softly. "I won't hurt you, cub" he gently touched her shoulder and helped her sit back down before she fainted. He held something up to her face. "It's a plant from the forest. Its fumes help with nausea"

"Who.. a-are you?" Emilia's voice caught in her throat. Right now nothing seemed more appealing than water. Her mouth was dry and her lips cracked.

"I'm known by my pack as Convel. It means Wolf warrior in Celtic." he handed the plant to her and Emilia complied. As soon as she breathed in the smell she started to feel better. "What is your name cub?"

"Wolf or human name? I have two." Emilia asked.

"Of course, I forget you are not part of a pack-"

"What do you mean? I do have a pack!" Emilia asked, alarmed.

Convel sighed. "I meant nothing by it, cub." he sat directly in front of her. "I am from a werewolf pack. We have - 'embraced our inner wolf' as wizards call it. I go by my wolf name."

Emilia dropped the plant in shock. So he was from a true werewolf pack? He was dangerous! Werewolf packs were groups (or 'packs') of people who lived in the woods and looked half wolf half human. Their wolf side ruled and they had wolf instincts even when in human form. They acted more like wolves than humans and celebrated nights of the full moon. Could a pack be living in the forbidden forest? Her and Moony were a pack, but had not embraced their inner wolf!

"Why are you here?" she said coolly. "Why are you still here with me? Where is your pack?"

"Your questions will be answered in time, young one. But you still haven't answered my question. What is your name?"

Emilia looked apprehensive. "My wolf name's Moonlet," she said at last. "My human name is Emilia Lupin"

Convel smiled a warm smile. "Hello, Moonlet."

Emilia was a bit taken back by the name. When called by her wolf name her wolf instincts came to the surface. Only Moony called her Moonlet and that was only when she wouldn't listen. It was just used to get her attention. Convel was… weird. "Why did my… wolf form… warm up to you? I trusted you almost blindly." Emilia said coldly. "I've never met another werewolf besides-" she stopped. Could she tell him about Moony?

"Besides your father? Remus?"

Emilia's eyes snapped up to Convel's green ones. "How do you know who he is? Who are you?" she said coldly, barely above a whisper.

"Because, moonlet, I am a member of your true pack." he smiled in a weird way that started to creep Emilia out. She stood up and backed farther against the wall.

"I have a pack. I belong to no others," she growled. "I will **Not** join yours."

"Sit down cub," he ordered suddenly. When Emilia didn't sit he looked straight into her eyes. "Sit Moonlet."

Her wolf instincts to listen to an older wolf kicked in. she slowly sat down, but farther away from the older man.

"Do you know how your father became a werewolf?"

"He was bitten by-" she paused. With her voice dripping in malice she said quietly, "Fenrir Greyback".

"Yes. and when Greyback bit him he was claimed as a cub in our pack. Because he refused and did not join the pack we let him be. Many others have done the same. Now according to wizarding law, Werewolves can't have kids."

Emilia laughed darkly. "Screw Wizarding law."

The older wolf chuckled before continuing. "Because he had you, you are also a part of our pack. When we met we both sensed that we were members of the same pack. Because we are from the same pack it would be extremely difficult to even try to harm you. The pack protects its cubs."

"Your part of Greyback's pack?" Emilia asked, horrified with this information. "I don't want to be part of this pack! How do I stop this?"

"Moonlet why would you want to end this connection you have? Being in a pack is wonderful. It's like family." he said with a twisted grin.

Emilia suddenly felt dizzy. This couldn't be happening! She wanted no connection with Greyback or his pack. This was too much information to take in! Now she was alone with this guy-Convel- and didn't have her wand.

"Calm down cub," Convel said softly. "We don't have to talk about wolf packs if you don't want to. Let's stick with friends?" he held out his hand to shake.

Emilia started hyperventilating. She had to get out of here! She needed to get back to the castle, write Moony, tell her friends, heck even tell Dumbledore! Tell someone Convel is out here! She looked wide eyed at Convel's hand. "No," she said hoarsely.

Convel looked a bit hurt as she said this. "It's ok. We just met after all." He slowly stood up and walked towards the door. "Bring your friends and meet me here, in this room, two days from now. I can help them with their animagus transformations." and with that, he silently walked out the door.

 **Hello, dear readers! I've decided not to have Emilia follow Harry to get the sorcerer's (or philosopher's) stone. Instead, I'll give her a little action of her own. Don't be afraid to review, I love hearing your feedback!  
**


	26. Chapter 26: Discoveries

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything remotely close to it.  
**

"How does he know?" domino asked. "We haven't told anyone we're animagi!"

"Unless he's been spying on us," Ammon said loudly.

The group sat in the secret room behind the tapestry. They had freshened it up a bit since they had last met here. Hannah and Hermione had transfigured some cushions for people to sit in and Hermione had even found a spell to completely hide the room! Now you had to say the password before lifting up the tapestry or else the room wouldn't appear. The password, for now, was "marauders", as the room was now referred to as the "Marauders quarters". Dominique sat on a large cushion, Hannah sat up against it, listening quietly to the conversation and not saying anything yet. Michael was sitting on the floor by Emilia and Ammon was pacing.

"His name is Convel and I doubt he'd be spying on us!" Emilia said defensively. She didn't know why she was defending Convel. Honestly, the man was dangerous and a bit creepy.

"How else would he know that we're animagi?" Domino accused.

Emilia frowned. "He could have- er… been walking by and saw us transforming?"

"He'd have to seen us attempt transforming multiple times to know we need help." Michael reasoned.

"How did he know you anyways? Why Do you trust _him_?" Dominique accused again.

"He was nice ok? He helped me feel better!" Emilia clenched her teeth. This was getting nowhere!

"So he helped you _one time_. He could be dangerous!"

"I'm dangerous too! He's just another werewolf and he's been nice. He's no different from me." Emilia closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Her temper was still short due to the full moon being only two days ago.

"Why are you defending him?!" Dominique asked sharply.

"HE HELPED ME, OK? Moonlet trust him! I knew you wouldn't understand…" Emilia stood abruptly and turned to leave. She couldn't tell them about his wolf pack, she couldn't tell them about Greyback, she couldn't tell them about these weird wolf instincts. Of course, they wouldn't understand! Deciding to head to dinner, she started to walk out of the dorm. There was a long stretch of silence before she felt someone grab her arm.

"Then we'll trust him too," Hannah said quietly from beside her. "Don't worry. They'll come around soon," she said quietly in Emilia's ear. Emilia gave Hannah a grateful smile.

The room was deathly quiet for quite some period of time. The Marauders all sat thinking about what to do.

"So we should meet him tonight?" Ammon said quietly.

There was a pause before Michael said, "Let's borrow Harry's cloak."

"This way, I can smell werewolf." Emilia lead her friends toward the forbidden forest. The Hogwarts grounds were dark. It was well past sunset by the time the left they Gryffindor dormitory. Emilia walked forward casually, her hands in her pockets while her hair blew in the breeze. Ammon and Dominique were under the invisibility cloak that Harry had reluctantly let them borrow. Michael scurried across the grass in his mink form while Hannah soared high above the trees. Hannah would waver a bit in the breeze and dip down, but other than that she was getting the hang of being a buzzard.

It was these moments Emilia enjoyed. The cool breeze in her hair, her friends by her side, being out after curfew- this was great! They crept along a small dirt path leading into the forest. Once they were behind the tree line and out of sight of the castle, Ammon transformed into a bear and Domino took off the cloak. Sadly Ammon's transformations were still taking longer than they should. Three minutes to turn into a bear!

As they neared the familiar clearing the werewolf scent got stronger than ever. Emilia paused in the middle of the clearing and looked around. She couldn't see Convel, but his scent was strong.

"Is he here?" Domini asked timidly. She wrapped Harry's cloak around her for warmth while making herself invisible from the shoulders down. Ammon sniffed around the edges of the clearing, trying to pick up a scent. Michael and Hannah stepped into the clearing and transformed back into their human selves. A deep laugh came from behind the group. Emilia spun around and saw Convel, leaning against a tree and sizing up her friends.

The werewolf looked taller than she remembered. He looked bigger and scarier too. His pale and scared face stared at them intently in the moonlight.

"You don't disappoint, Moonlet," he said gruffly. "I didn't think you'd show up." he gave a half smile.

Emilia crossed her arms. "What do you want Convel?" she said coolly.

"He's a werewolf!" Domino squeaked.

Ammon rolled his eyes, "yes, Domino, I thought we already discussed this."

Convel stood up fully and slowly walked toward Emilia's group. With every step he took towards them, Dominique took a step back. Emilia bravely stepped forward and looked the older man in the eyes. "Convel, you said you could help them with their animagus forms. We've come to see what you can do for us. Are you still able to help, or should we leave?" she kept her arms folded tightly over her chest.

The older wolf ran one of his scarred hands through his hair in contemplation. "I can help you, under certain conditions." he stopped walking towards them and crossed his arms. "I can't be found out. I don't want the school knowing I'm here."

Emilia stared at him coldly for a few seconds. No one spoke as the two werewolves had a mini stare off. "I'll keep your secret. If you don't try anything- sketchy."

"Flap your wings less, Buzzard. You don't need to wave them so much, only when you are actually falling." the man walked along the forest floor among Emilia's four friends. Each one was practicing transforming and functioning in their animagus forms. Emilia sat on top of a large boulder and overlooked the training. Hannah flew slow circles around the clearing while Michael chased her from below. Ammon worked on transforming faster and Dominique worked on transforming quicker.

"Really picture your human form," he told the lioness gruffly. "You've only been picturing one-half of your body, it's why you get stuck half way." he strutted past her and towards Ammon.

"Jump in midair and try to transform as you hit the ground" Convel flashed his creepy smile that made Emilia shiver.

As Ammon begun the challenge Emilia started to hear whispers from behind her. She focused her hearing on the whispers and listened in.

"The Wolf thinks he can teach humans how to transform. Hah!" the voice was high pitched and jagged. It sounded like fingernails scraping against a chalkboard.

"Magic folk never learn. They refuse to listen unless it helps them." the next voice was low pitched and rich in life, definitely a much younger voice than the first. "He has to be a fool to think they'll keep his secret"

"No" the scraggly voice spoke again. "They won't tell a soul"

"Oh? And how can you be sure? Magic folk aren't known for their secret-keeping abilities."

Emilia was slowly starting to dislike these voices. She spun around to see who was talking. All she could see in front of her was the dark forbidden forest.

"Because of the wolf girl. By telling everyone else her suspicions, they would know what she is and why she's been out here. She's got insecurities just like the rest of em'" the jagged voice was dripping with sarcasm and giddy joy.

The younger voice spoke again, "the wolf girl? You mean that one's a werewolf too?"

Emilia stopped dead in her tracks. How did they know what she was? And _who_ were _they_?

"Yes. that one's a wolf too. And she's listening in on our conversation." Emilia could feel her blood run cold. The hairs on the back of her head stood on end.

"W-who are you?" Emilia whispered into the darkness. She spun around wildly trying to catch a glimpse of who or what was speaking.

"Come closer child. Don't you want to know who that man _really_ is?" the irritating old voice whispered again. "Because we know. We've seen _Convel the warrior_. We see everything."

"Who are you?" Emilia said louder. "I'll get the others!"

"No, you won't. Your curious of what we have to say." the rich voice whispered a bit louder now. "We are observers. Creatures that do as we please. We love watching others misery and stupidity. And you have been a great show so far."

"Really?" Emilia asked. "That sounds lame."

"No, not really. We wouldn't tell you who we are _that_ easy, now would we?" the scraggly voice spoke again. "Come closer. Deeper into the forest. We'll tell you what you want to know."

Emilia stood there stupidly for a few seconds and weighed her options. Go back to creepy Convel and her friends where they were unsafe but together? Or follow these weirdos deeper into a dark forbidden forest, alone, without a weapon to defend or protect yourself, to learn some secret that could be entirely made up. Well, she knew what she was gonna pick! With all the courage she could muster she stepped a few feet forward. She followed the voices only a few yards away from the clearing.

"What do you know about the man-wolf?" the rich voice spoke close to her ear, making Emilia jump.

"H-he's from greyback's pack?" Emilia mumbled "and he is a bit crazy. He knows quite a bit about plants and animagi."

"But why is he here?" the scraggly voice whispered in her other ear. Emilia turned stiffly towards the noise but saw nothing but darkness. "Convel, the warrior wolf, greybacks fine pack protector, on- Hogwarts grounds?"

"I thought you would tell me something, not make me doubt myself," Emilia muttered angrily. "Don't you think I've thought of this before?"

"Wolf Girl," the younger voice spoke again, even closer. "Convel is looking for you."

"Yeah? Well, he's found me. And so have you apparently." Emilia sighed. "Now get lost."

"He was sent here by Greyback himself. Whenever you see him there are two more wolves not too far away, keeping guard. They are messengers, sent by Greyback to watch Convel's progress."

"Progress in what?" Emilia asked indignantly. "What's so important?"

"Well that's the question isn't it?" the old voice laughed hoarsely.

"You'll have to figure that one out on your own" the younger one chuckled evilly.

Emilia hugged her arms tightly around her torso. "Why won't you tell me? You know more than what you're saying," she mumbled angrily.

"Don't trust him." the older voice said. "He'll only bring trouble."

"And what if all you tell me are lies? What then?" Emilia spun around furiously but still couldn't see anything. She caught whiffs of scents but couldn't make much sense of them.

Something small dug into her right hand. Emilia yelped and pulled her hand back to see two deep scratches cut into her. Emilia clutched her bleeding hand to her chest.

"What would be the fun in that?" there was a small laugh and then, "go"

Then everything went black. When Emilia woke up she was back on the boulder she was sitting on before. The young werewolf scanned the area around here, looking for any sign of the mysterious voices. Her friends were still practicing their transformations.

"Are you ok?" a gruff voice spoke from just next to the boulder. Emilia jumped and turned towards the noise. Convel stood leaning up against the boulder and smiling at Emilia. His smile still scared Emilia a bit.

"Fine. I guess I just passed out," she said quietly. Was it all just a dream? Was she never really alone in the forest, listening to disembodied voices? Well, when she thought about it that way it definitely sounded like a dream.

"Sleeping already? Well, we're nearly done here for tonight." Convel leaned back further on the boulder and stared up at the stars.

Emilia felt something trickling down her arm. Alarmed, she looked down expecting some sort of insect. Instead, a slow red trickle of fresh blood was seen falling from her hand. The girl realized her hand was still clutched to her chest and the two deep scratches were still there. The words 'don't trust him' echoed through her head. "It wasn't a dream…" she whispered.

"What was that?" Convel turned to face her. Emilia was a bit taken back when she saw him. He looked so sincere. So kind. Like he was just a friendly guy who wanted to help a fellow pack member and her friends. Emilia shook her head and thought about the voices again.

"It's late. We should go back to the castle," she said carefully. They needed to get away from this man. If the voices we right, then Convel was more dangerous than the Marauders had originally thought. "We're leaving now. Bye" she stood up and waved her friends over.

"Time to go?" Ammon asked as he transformed back into a human.

Hannah seemed to recognize the scared look in Emilia's eyes, as she said, "Yeah, it's late. We need to get back."

Michael caught on too. "Yes. classes tomorrow and… stuff." Hannah rolled her eyes from behind him.

"Ok! Bye Convel," Emilia waved frantically and the five friends started their walk back. The forest was deadly silent. The only noise was the crunching under their feet and the occasional breeze blowing through the trees.

Hannah was the first to break the silence. "So…. what's wrong?" she looked Emilia in the eyes.

"Convel isn't… well, he's even more dangerous than I thought." Emilia supplied. She scanned the area to make sure no one was listening in. "he's b-been sent here to do something important. There's a reason he can't be s-spotted by anyone at Hogwarts. He has some sort o-of mission."

"Obviously he's dangerous." Michael rolled his eyes. "I knew that before I even saw him. What's your source?"

Emilia quirked an eyebrow in Michael's direction. "Source?"

Michael gave an exasperated sigh. "Yes, source. Where did you get this information? What is the basis for your accusations and worry?"

"Oh," Emilia bit her bottom lip. No matter how weird it sounded, she had to tell them about the voices. "So, I was sitting on that big rock. Just, ya know, chilling on top of it. And I was watching my friends transforming, like, you remember?"

Ammon smirked. "Just chilling on top of the rock gave you the idea of Convel being dangerous?" he laughed a bit. "Focus Emilia"

"Right, sorry." she smiled a bit. "Well, I heard these- voices. They were talking about convel and wizards. And somehow they knew I was a wolf. They saw me listening to the conversation-"

Dominique cut in "wait, _voices_? Are you sure you weren't dreaming?"

Emilia spun around to face Dominique with a smile on her face. "That's what I thought! But it wasn't because my hand was still bleeding!"

Hannah put her head into her hands. "Focus, Emilia" her voice was muffled but the others heard her fine. Michael and Ammon seemed to be having a hard time holding back their laughter. Hannah desperately tried to hold back her smile. "This isn't funny, guys"

"So the voices told me to come closer and I did. I guess it was a bad idea- I mean, I walked deeper into the forbidden forest alone, without telling anyone, and I had left my wand on the big rock. Moony wouldn't be happy. I guess he wouldn't be happy about any of what we've been doing for the past few months…."

Michael sighed, "Emilia-"

"Right! Sorry," Emilia smiled sheepishly and kept going. "So they told me that Convel is here for a purpose. I didn't believe them completely at first, but Merlin! Those guys were compelling!" Emilia giggled a bit as several of the Marauders rolled their eyes. "But apparently he has other pack members here that were sent by Greyback. They're supposed to monitor his progress with… something? I don't know what."

"So he has some sort of mission? That's so cool!" Ammon exclaimed.

Michael rolled his eyes. "Cool isn't the word it would use" he mumbled.

"Is no one going to comment on the mysterious voices Emilia heard?" Dominique asked.

Emilia stopped abruptly, almost making Michael run into her. "I smell something… familiar." She crept sideways and scanned the trees to her left. "Werewolves. To the left of us. They're from the same pack as convel." she narrowed her eyes at the bushes to her side.

Domino gasped. "So the voices were right?" she shuddered and crept closer to Michael. Hannah quirked an eyebrow and Michael, who had a hand comfortingly placed on Dominique's shoulder but didn't ask.

"Only one way to find out," Emilia growled. Her wolf-like voice seemed to spook Dominique more. The young girl carefully stepped off the path and crept deeper into the forest.

"Um, as fun as it seems to follow the werewolves, something tells me that's a bad idea. Something like, my sense of self-preservation maybe?" Ammon stepped forward slowly.

"Scared Ammon?" Hannah teased. She cautiously stepped up to where Ammon was standing. "Wait up Emilia!"

Ammon frowned. "I'm not scared! I'm just trying to live to see my fifth year!" he bravely stepped deeper into the woods. "I'm following Emilia. You can follow, Hannah, unless _you're_ the one that's too scared," he smirked and followed his friend deeper into the woods.

Emilia's heart fluttered at Ammon's words. She quickly pushed her feelings aside and focused on the new scents coming from deeper into the forest.

"Scared?" Hannah tried to match Ammon's pace into the woods. "I'm a Gryffindor! I don't get scared!"

"Technically," Michael said tentatively, "being a Gryffindor doesn't mean you don't get scared. Just that you're fairly courageous. Among other traits, of course…" he helped Domino along through the bushes and roots that were Emilia's makeshift trail. "Other traits like chivalry, daring, and nerve." he rambled on nervously.

"This way," Emilia whispered as she took a sudden right. The young girl trudged along through various dark bushes and overgrown shrubs. Finally, she heard faint voices from straight ahead. Emilia pulled her friends behind two nearby trees and looked straight ahead at a clearing. In the muddy clearing, two large men stood, conversing with each other. They were both obviously werewolves. Their shredded clothes, matted hair, and bloodshot eyes could easily lead one to that conclusion. The larger one had graying brown hair and dull brown eyes. The other wolf looked to still be a Cub. An older cub, maybe 15 or so. The handsome young teen had the same dull brown eyes and darker hair. The older wolf paced around the clearing, scowling at every small critter that scurried past.

Finally, the older wolf stopped pacing and furiously spun around to face the cub. "This is ridiculous! What's taking him so long!" his gruff and strained voice could be heard perfectly from where the Marauders sat.

The cub sat slouched against a tree stump. The boy's eyes bore hungrily into the small squirrel a few feet in front of him. "You know convel. He loves taking his time… making others wait. He'll do his job correctly."

"I have no doubt he'll do his job. But it annoys me that he makes his superiors wait!" the older Wolf scowled again and kept pacing. "I'll be sure to report his impertinence to the alpha!"

The didn't seem to be paying much attention to the elder wolf. Instead the young wolf eyed the squirrel as it drew closer and closer to him. "Shall we travel back to our pack tonight? Or wait until morning?"

"Tonight. We're risking too much by being this close to that dreaded school. There shouldn't be any werewolves in this forest, let alone three! And all of them from greyback's pack!"

"Aren't their other wolves in this forest?" the cub was curious enough to finally take his eyes off the poor creature. But as the squirrel drew closer the young wolf's eyes were on his prey.

The older wolf looked annoyed and stopped pacing. "Of course there are! Don't you remember anything about Convel's mission? There's a girl that rightfully belongs to our pack here!"

"Sorry Adolphus, I had forgotten." the young cub said sheepishly.

"Clearly you were too focused on that annoying creature. Just eat it already! Get it out of my sight!" he growled.

As soon as the older wolf gave his permission the cub lunged. With a flash, the squirrel was nothing more than a spatter of blood and fur. "Thank you Adolphus!" the cub said with his mouth full of squirrel.

The older wolf sneered in disgust. His ears suddenly perked up. " Convel approaches. We shall meet him halfway. Come, Bleddyn!"

The young wolf jumped up to follow his elder. They swiftly exited the clearing from the opposite side the Marauders were on.

Emilia was horror stricken. How did everyone seem to know what she was? She wordlessly tugged Ammon's sleeve to tell him to leave. The young girl swiftly turned around, gathered up the cloak, and hurriedly left. Her friends were not far behind her.

"Emilia? Emilia, please talk to us!" Dominique's concerned voice sounded muffled through the locked door. This was the seventh time Dominique had tried to get her out of the bathroom. But Emilia felt too sick to leave. The events played over and over again in her head. The faces of the werewolves were burned into her mind. The cuts on her hand still bleed openly, which worried her. Though, she wasn't worried enough to do anything about them. The faceless voices in the forest, her mistrust in convel, the two wolves in the clearing- it was all permanently engraved into her brain, forcing her mind to play the events over and over again until Emilia felt sick. The room spun around her. Her clammy hands tried to grab onto something-anything! She had long since lost her balance and fell onto the bathroom floor.

"Emilia?" Hannah's calm voice echoed loudly through the bathroom. Emilia was temporarily startled out of her thoughts. Hannah's voice wasn't muffled by the door. The blonde marauder carefully walked towards her friends. Hannah gently pulled Emilia up by her arm and helped her back into the dorm.

Once Emilia was sitting on her own bed, Hannah turned to her. "Let's fix you up a bit before we go." Hannah tossed a hairbrush at Domino. "Brush through her hair. Emilia, pick out a slightly less muddy jumper."

Emilia grabbed the hairbrush from Dominique. "No worries" she mumbled. She shook her hair and it returned to its sandy brown, untangled waves. She slowly stood and pulled off her navy jumper and pulled on a faded gray zip up hoodie. She changed her pants into tight fitting black jeans and pulled on her black sneakers. Once set she looked into the mirror.

The young girl winced at the face staring back at her. Her eyes were red and puffy from silently crying. Tears stained her flushed cheeks. Her eyes were slightly bloodshot and her lips were cracked. "Um, Hannah? Why are we going out again? It's nearly midnight."

Hannah scooted beside her to look in the mirror. "Marauders Quarters. We need to have a meeting," she said matter of factly as she pulled her hair into a tight ponytail. She wore a dark red hoodie and black skinny jeans. Her new polished black leather shoes definitely outshone Emilia's. And Emilia looked at Hannah and Domino she realized something.

"Why are we freshening up? At midnight?" she asked skeptically. "And how have we not woken up the other girls? Parvati? Lavender? Hermione?"

"I put a silencing charm on their beds," she said easily. "I'll take it off when we leave."

"I'd think Hermione would notice. She's pretty smart." Emilia said quietly.

"Oh, she most likely would." Dominique agreed. "Weird that she's not here, isn't it?"

Emilia smirked. "We're not freshening up just so we can have a meeting, are we?"

Hannah gave Emilia a mischievous smile as she finished lacing up her shoes. "I heard the trio say something about a baby dragon!" and with that, the three girls were off.


	27. Chapter 27: Back to Normal?

**Disclaimer: I Don't own Harry Potter. And I don't plan to own it anytime soon! So all rights go the J.K. Rowling.  
**

Her hand now throbbed with pain. The deep inflamed cuts on the back of her hand burned agonizingly. Her achy fingers shook violently as Hannah tried to wrap the injury. Fortunately, the blonde had thought to bring bandages.

"How did it happen?" Hannah said quietly.

The Marauders were back in the Marauders hideout/quarters. The three girls sat on the floor while to two boys occupied the bean bags.

"Those voices. Somehow they scratched me so when I woke up I would know it wasn't a dream. At least- I think that's why." Emilia grimaced as her friend wrapped her hand up tighter. "It's worse than any normal scratch." Emilia pointed out. "I've only gotten cuts this bad on the full moon. Moonlet gets blood thirsty and scratches herself instead of any animals."

"They look deep" Dominique cast a sympathetic look at Emilia.

"Why do you have bandages, Hannah?" Michael asked impassively.

Hannah smirked. "I borrowed them from Madame Pomfrey before we started spending our full moons with Moonlet."

Michael rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure you mean _stole_ , not borrowed."

"We need to discuss what happens next. And what we know about Convel." Ammon said sadly. "What does this mean for us Marauders?"

Emilia sighed, "let's start with what we know about Convel. I can recap." she cleared her throat before speaking, "Convel is a scout/ fighter for Greyback's pack. My dad was bitten by Greyback, making him rightfully part of Greyback's pack. He was just a kid and he decided not to be part of a wolf pack. Greyback's pack was cleared out of the area by wizards so they couldn't take my dad. Because I am a werewolf, thanks to my dad, I am technically also part of Greyback's pack. Convel was sent here for some sort of mission- that has to do with me? And so he's most likely trying to earn our trust."

When Emilia paused to take a breath Hannah took over. "The two wolves in the clearing must be scouts for Greyback. Their names were- Adolphus and Bleddyn, if I'm correct. They are most likely checking in with Convel and then going back to their pack." she paused and looked around the room. "So marauders. I say we have a vote, although I'm pretty sure I know what the answer is. All those who vote for cutting off ties with Convel?"

Ammon, Dominique, and Hannah raised their hands immediately. Michael looked thoughtful before tentatively raising his hand. Emilia hesitated a bit longer before finally speaking, "I'll try my best to keep away from him. We can't keep meeting with him."

"Then it's settled?" Ammon piped up. "So should we keep practicing transformations in here?"

"We'll practice here at some point," Hannah said. The Marauders sat in silence after that.

Emilia crept silently along the corridor. Her back was against the wall and she was completely enveloped in the shadows of the night. Faint whisperings were heard just up ahead now, getting closer and closer to where Emilia and Hannah stood. The other three were at the other side of the corridor, knelt close to the ground so as not to be soon. Footsteps were quickly approaching, faster and faster. Heavy labored breathing accompanied them. The noises were heading in the direction of the astronomy tower. Soon Emilia could make out figures in the darkness. Two lone figures, Harry and Hermione, were carrying a crate up the steps to the top of the tower. 

Soon the got close enough that Emilia could smell what was in the crate. She smelled smoke, bits of meaty blood scent, and very obvious dragon smell. Hannah was right, the trio had a baby dragon. Emilia took a deep breath and stood up fully.

She took a confident step forward out of the shadows. She could hear Hermione suck in a breath. The footsteps came to an abrupt halt. Emilia stopped in the middle of the steps, blocking their way. She eyed the box, then her fellow first years. They seemed to be nervously awaiting what she'd say to them.

Emilia cleared her throat. "Baby Dragon?"

Harry and Ron exchanged glances. Harry was the first to speak up. "His names Norbert. He's Hagrid's."

"And he's going to the top of the tower because…?"

"We're giving him to Ron's Brother Charlie." Hermione piped up. "He works with dragons, Norbert will be happier there than in Hagrid's hut."

A slow smile crept onto Emilia's face. "Then, by all means, let up help you get it there."

The rest of the Marauders got out of hiding to join. After the initial shock of Hermione and Harry, they seven students set to work getting Norbert to the top of the tower. Michael and Dominique stayed at the bottom of the tower to keep a lookout, Hannah rushed to the top to watch for Charlie, and Emilia, Ammon, Harry, and Hermione worked on hauling the crate up the stairs.

"So, *pant* where's Ron?" Ammon asked.

"Hospital wing," Harry said quickly. "Dragon bit him." Emilia could tell she wasn't the only one struggling with the dragon.

Somehow they had managed to get the box to the top of the tower. Weird scratching noises from within the box indicated that Norbert was getting restless. Charlie and his friends were already waiting for them at the top. The box was secured between the broomsticks the dragon tamers were riding on. With a quick goodbye to the first years, Charlie and his friends flew off.

Emilia, Hannah, Ammon, Harry, and Hermione talked happily as the traveled back down the stairs. Emilia stuck her hands into her pockets and realized- to her horror- that her wand was missing. She felt around in the now empty space where her wand usually resided. Nothing but denim jean pockets. Emilia gasped and stopped walking. "My wand."

Hannah and Ammon stopped walking almost as soon as Emilia had stopped. By now they were used to sudden stops. Emilia and Dominique made a habit of stopping in crowded hallways in between classes at inconvenient places.

"Your wand's gone?" Hannah frowned concernedly.

"Maybe it fell out when we were trying the box to those brooms?" Hermione suggested.

Emilia's heart was beating out of her chest. "Yeah… yes, I'll just go check the tower."

"I'm coming with you," Ammon and Hannah said in unison. Ammon took a few steps back up the stairs and Hannah tugged on Emilia's arm. "You two go downstairs, we'll meet you down there," Hannah said as she pulled Emilia up the steps.

Emilia's wand was found (thankfully). It was found right underneath the invisibility cloak that Harry and Hermione had accidentally left behind. The three first years pulled the cloak over themselves and headed back down the stairs, Emilia's wand safely in her pocket once more. And that was when Emilia heard voices coming from the bottom of the stair case. Voices weren't the only thing that set her on edge, the gnarly old smell of a certain staff member was all too familiar for comfort. The young werewolf pushed the other two close to the wall and into the shadows.

"We have an invisibility cloak, we don't have to hide in the shadows." Ammon whispered.

"Shut up! There's someone else talking to Harry and Hermione!" Emilia hissed. The three inched forward until the conversation became more clear.

"Well well well… aren't we in trouble?" the horrid voice of Filch spoke. Emilia shuddered at the fate of her friends.

"A- we were just-" hopeless beginnings of excuses were attempted, none were helping their cause. A bit of shuffling indicated that Filch had indeed taken Harry and Hermione off to McGonagall. Ammon had to physically hold back Emilia from running down the steps to help. The young werewolf was fuming.

"That bloody caretaker has no right!" Emilia spat once they were gone.

"Actually," Hannah frowned, "He does." the three students walked silently down the hall under the invisibility cloak, trying to scout out where Dominique and Michael had gone. The faint whisperings of conversation made Emilia's ears perk up. Using her heightened werewolf senses she guided Hannah and Ammon closer to the noises. After turning a few corners they quickly spotted the shadowy figures of Michael and Dominique crouched in the shadows of the hallway. Emilia pulled back the cloak to allow Dominique and Michael to see her.

"You're alright!" Dominique's cheer was followed by a series of shushing noises from her friends. "We heard Harry and Hermione get caught by Filch! We didn't know if you were with them or not!"

"You should have seen what happened to Malfoy!" Michael smiled. "He tried to tell McGonagall about the dragon. She didn't believe him! We heard her say Malfoy's gonna be in detention!"

Emilia pumped her fist into the air with a triumphant, "Yes!". The others smiled triumphantly and Ammon clapped Michael on the back. "Serves him right," Emilia said quietly.

The smiles were still plastered onto their faces as they went to sleep that night.

Emilia finished putting on her Quidditch uniform by fastening her leather gloves tightly. Her scarlet and gold uniform matched every other fellow Gryffindor Quidditch team member. Today was just a practice. A simple practice for the upcoming Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw match, the match that would determine who would win the inner house Quidditch cup. Oliver Wood wouldn't stop repeating the importance of this practice! Emilia could tell that it was beginning to stress some of the team out, with the exams starting soon on top of this. But for some reason, it wasn't bothering Harry as much as it usually would. Harry seemed disconnected to what was going on like he was lost in his own mind. It was rather unlike Harry.

But as soon as everyone was up in the air Harry seemed to forget what was on his mind before. Oliver unleashed the practice snitch and Harry caught it within a minute. Harry would sometimes wait a few minutes to give the snitch a lead. But he caught it-easily as ever. Emilia, Angelina Johnson, and Katie Bell passed the quaffle back and forth while flying around the pitch. Fred and George were messing around and playing a complicated game of catch with the bludgers. Quidditch practices were tiring, important, and sometimes cold and wet, but Emilia still found them fun and relaxing. Something about being up in the air, thinking about nothing but Quidditch and having fun with your teammates, helped to reduce stress.

The Quidditch practice ended when it started to rain. But despite the rain, The Gryffindor team still went back inside smiling and laughing.

Over the next week, Emilia found something she loathed. Exams. The stressful tense environment while in the classroom taking exams was nerve wracking. And now she was in the middle of her History of Magic exam. Skipping questions and coming back to them, doodling on the sides of her paper, underlining certain words in paragraphs to emphasize the importance, taking deep breaths to calm down and focus, nothing seemed to work! Her brain (which was usually buzzing with thought) was now nothing but a blank space. Empty when she most needed it. Typical.

'Who invented the self-stirring cauldron? _'_ \- ' _Gaspard Shingleton'_

'Who was the first to sell the self-stirring cauldron?'- ' _Potages Cauldron shop?"_

'What is this cauldron's function?'- ' _IT SELF STIRS! IT'S IN THE NAME!'_

'At last, that exam was at its end. After an hour of questions about a self-stirring cauldron for the history of magic Exam, the Marauders headed over to Flitwick's class. For the charms exam, the first years were called in one by one to see if they could make a pineapple tap dance across a desk top. Michael proudly bragged afterward about how he was able to do it first try. Hannah completed the task first try also. Ammon took two tries but completed the task nonetheless. Dominique took multiple attempts but eventually got there. Emilia did it, but only after the pineapple smashed against the back wall out of her frustration.

Finally, all was going well. Exams had ended and students were happy. Grades would be given over the summer. The Marauders found a quiet corner of the common room to sit at (it wasn't all that quiet once they got there.) there was a table with two chairs that looked out a large window that Domino and Emilia sat at. Dominique had parchment laid in front of her place at the small table. She attempted to write a letter home but was constantly distracted by the intense game of exploding snap. Ammon and Hannah had somehow managed to convince Michael to stop reading and play with them. Emilia had stopped while she was ahead of the game with her winning streak of three rounds. She sat at the table next to domino and watched the game that was being played on the ground right next to the table.

Emilia sat with her legs tucked up and her head resting on her knees. Every so often she would burst out laughing whenever the game would explode in someone's face. But as time passed by she started looking out the window at the darkening sky, she looked down at the gigantic castle walls and darkening blue lake. The gray brick courtyards, the eerie green forbidden forest, the tawny gray school owls flying in and out of the tall brick owlery. For a few minutes, it seemed peaceful. All was well with the marauders. It was almost like they had a normal school year with no trolls, werewolves, voices, nightly excursions, blood oaths, and dragons. It was like they were just five friends going through the school year. Normal students trying to further their magical education to one day work in the ministry. No rule breaking, no animagus transformations, no secret hideouts and heart felt moments of learning each other's hard lives. At that moment it was easy to make herself believe she was just a normal Gryffindor girl, with a silly crush on her friend. not soulmates, no werewolf instincts, just a crush. That she was closest to Hannah and Dominique, still very close to Michael and Ammon.

Ammon. She stared longingly at him, letting herself indulge in this school girl crush. His rosy cheeks and long blond eyelashes were breathtaking. His oceanic blue eyes made Emilia's heart swoon. When he threw his head back and laughed Emilia laughed too. His perfect straight teeth showing as he laughed. It was as if time was going in slow motion as Emilia studied his features. He was getting fairly muscular (it was obvious when he was wearing tight t shirts like he usually does. His plain white t, tight blue jeans, and white socks matched his personality well.

Then with a 'BANG' those same rosy cheeks and blonde eyelashes were covered in black soot. The group laughed heartily. Even Ammon laughed. All was perfect.

The young werewolf dug through her trunk agitatedly. Out went books, parchment, assignments, robes, and anything else that once lay in her trunk. "WHERE ARE THEY?"

Dominique jumped at her friend's exclamation. "Emilia!" she scolded lightly. "What are you looking for?"

"My pajamas," came an angry growl. More t shirts were thrown around, landing on the floor, on various beds, and even on top of Dominique.

"You mean the pair of sweats on your pillow?" Hannah lay on top of her bed, reading a book and paying little attention to Emilia's antics.

Emilia stopped her frantic searching and looked up at her bed. Sure enough, the sweatpants and baggy red t were sprawled across her pillow. The young werewolf let out an inhuman growl and swiped for her pajamas. Dominique held back laughter as Emilia jumped up and down getting sweats on and getting tangled up in her shirt. Finally, after what seemed like the biggest workout of her life, Emilia flopped down onto her bed and sighed. She lazily turned her head to look at Domino and Hannah.

Never before had she paid much attention to her friends choice in pajamas. But Emilia guessed she was just feeling sentimental as the year came to an end. Dominique wore a zebra patterned Onesie with zebra ears almost every night. Muggles wore odd clothes… Zebra patterned paraphernalia wasn't common in the wizarding world. Hannah wore a skimpy black tank and soft light blue short-shorts. Emilia thought back to what Ammon and Michael wore. She never paid much attention to their choice in pajamas either. Michael wore a gray sweatshirt and blue plaid pajama pants. Ammon wore a Holyhead harpies Jersey and broomstick patterned pants. She just wore a baggy red faded shirt with a few holes in it with a pair of gray faded sweatpants. It was simple.

"Only a week of school left." Domino sighed and snapped Emilia out of her thoughts.

Hannah waved her wand and the lights all went out. All the other girls in the dorm were used to this.

"I'll miss Hogwarts so much!" Lavender squealed. Parvati cast a Lumos spell and tried to read for a bit. She nodded vehemently at Lavender's words.

"It'll be nice to go home. I'm rather excited to see my parents," Parvati said. "We travel every summer! What about you guys?" she questioned the whole room.

"I'm helping with a charity group to feed the homeless!" Domino smiled. "My whole street is helping out! But- after that, i'll just be babysitting my little brother, Ivan, while my parents work."

"I don't have plans for the summer." Emilia gave a tight smile. "I and my dad just stay at home."

Emilia noticed sadly that Hannah hadn't said anything. And she also noticed Hermione's strange absence. In fact, Emilia hadn't seen any of the trios in the common room all evening.

"I can't believe we're already almost done with our first year!" Domino sighed. The sentimentality in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. All the other girls wore sad smiles as they lay in bed talking quietly.

The young werewolf mentally sighed. She was excited to go home and see Moony. To be in her own bedroom again and wear pajamas all day. To fly her broom over the lake, to run through the forest, to lay on the sandy shores and watch the sunset... But at the same time, she was sad to leave. She'd never had such close friends as the Marauders! She found a group who accepted her completely! They never discriminated against her wolf side! They became Animagi even though it was complicated magic, just to be near her when she was at her most dangerous point. She could tell them anything. That was something she never got when she was with Felicity.

With thoughts of friends and family in mind, Emilia finally drifted off to sleep.

With a start, the young werewolf jumped upright in bed. She tried to rub the sleepiness out of her mind while wondering what time it was. And what that noise was? A mix between crying, whimpering and whining filled the room. The noise- it was coming from Domino's bed! Emilia tried to jump out of bed, but got tangled up in the sheets and fell to the floor with a sickening 'THUD'. She moaned for help.

Female arms wrapped around her to help her up. Emilia leaned heavily against the dark figure and opened her eyes. Nothing felt broken, but her head hurt like a hippogriff mauled her. Suddenly all the lights were on, making Emilia hiss at the bright light. The loud noise continued, getting more and more wild as time passed. There were several gasps and shrieks from the other girls, prompting Emilia to come closer. To Emilia's horror- Dominique was Half Lioness and Half human! Her hands and feet were large paws, a tail was poking through her pajamas, her nose and mouth were that of a lion's and her ears were also lionesses.

Emilia stifled a scream. Unfortunately, some of the other girls weren't able to stifle theirs. Large tears rolled down Domino's rosy cheeks. The girl was having trouble standing up. The girls in the dormitory crowded around Domino and tried to calm her down. But all the talk was just jumbling into a giant mess of noise.

"QUIET!" Hannah roared with a deepness she didn't look like she possessed. "I and Emilia are taking Dominique to the girl's bathroom! If one of you could wake up Michael and Ammon and tell them to meet us in the one the troll smashed… that would be great."

Emilia silently thanked Hannah for her leadership skills. The two girls helped lead Dominique out of the dorm, out of the portrait hole, and into the hallway. Thankfully they didn't have to go far before Michael and Ammon ran towards them.

The two males fought to catch their breath while still speed walking along side Hannah and Emilia and Dominique. "Why are we traveling to the girl's bathroom at 12:45 at night?"

"And why is Dominique unable to walk?" Michael questioned.

Hannah spun around so fast Emilia couldn't keep up. The young werewolf growled a bit before helping Dominique once more. Once Hannah spun around to face the boys, they were able to get a better look at her. "What happened!?"

Hannah took a deep breath. "All I can figure is she was in the process of transforming in her sleep but she woke up and the transformation stopped abruptly. We _Aren't_ going to the girl's bathroom. I only said that as an excuse for the other girls."

"Then where do we go?" Ammon asked skeptically.

There was silence before Hannah spoke next. "We find Convel."

 **Hello, my dear Readers! I'm so so sorry this has taken so long to be posted! I'm hoping to publish the next one much sooner- but at the rate writing, these are going… it may be a while. Please review! I love reading all of your wonderful reviews! Good or bad, at least it's something. Thank you!  
**


	28. Chapter 28: Convel's Mission

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. Same as always. Gosh, you'd think people would know this by now! ~sarcasm~**

 **A warning, if I may. This chapter gets a bit… bloody. If that bothers you I'm very sorry and I don't think you can avoid it in this chapter.  
**

They walked the path of the forbidden forest. The forest sent silent chills down the spines of the Gryffindors. The moon shone like an Orb, nearly at its full moon peak. The quiet hush of the forest set Emilia on edge. She was nervous. And why wouldn't she be? They were walking along the path of the forbidden forest, to see a feral werewolf who might want to kill them because their friend turned into a half lion in her sleep because she's an illegal animagus. Absolutely wonderful!

Scents wafted into her line of smell easily. The full moon was fast approaching and her senses were dialed to eleven. The sweet scent of pine and night air. The smell of mud and pond water. The occasional scent of a squirrel or magical creature. Thankfully the only dangerous scent she could make out was that of a werewolf. The coarse smell of dried blood and dirt hovered side by side with the feral wolf scent.

The waved her friends over to follow her on a small path splitting off from the original trail. The desperate whimpers of her friend could be heard from behind her. Emilia frowned in sympathy.

Finally, the scent of a werewolf was so strong it flooded her nose and mind. 'A pack member' was all moonlet could think. 'Must find him.' the wolf instincts started taking over and Emilia let it. She walked forward, without trying to. She was just watching her legs step forward with confidence. Stupid wolf instincts scared her a bit.

'Moonlet?' the wolf clawed at the voice. The rough and tattered silhouette of Convel was only a few feet ahead of her. The scent of him was so strong! Werewolf, wood, and blood wafted throughout the brain, becomes fuzzy in the wolf instincts to trust. But no- she had a job to do, she wouldn't zone out now!

"Why are you here?" she could almost hear him smiling knowingly. It bothered her beyond the end. "Miss me?"

"I- I need your… help." she swallowed hard and gathered up all her courage. Speaking confidently now she said, "Follow me, will you?"

"Of course fellow wolf." he bowed and stepped out of the darkness. What she saw sent chills down her spine. Convel normally looked rough and scarred, but this was different! He had fresh cuts and marks littering his arms and neck. The red slashes were still oozing fresh blood, mixing with already dried blood that always seemed to find its way onto his person. His mouth was smeared with dried blood and his eyes were bloodshot and dark. His hair was even more matted. His nails were chipped and resembled claws. He wore the same shredded red flannel she had always seen him in, but that was caked in blood and fur also. His jeans had newer rips and his bare feet were covered in mud. "Lead me, Moonlet."

Emilia slowly wandered back a few yards to where her friends stood. The girl suddenly wondered if this was such a good idea… she would rather risk going to Madame Pomfrey then leading Convel to her friends. But it was too late for that.

"Oh dear.' Convel shook his head and tsked. He circled Dominique like a wolf does with its prey, just before it pounces. "You messed something up."

"Obviously." Emilia rolled her eyes. Her eyes grew wide and she looked up at Convel, seeing what his reaction would be. He ignored her.

"How?" he asked gruffly.

Hannah spoke up. "We are assuming she must have dreamt about it in her sleep and accidentally began changing. The change woke her up and it froze that way?"

Convel hadn't stopped his circling. He looked at her more intensely. "It should wear off eventually. She'll most likely become a full animagus before she can turn back to human." his tone was quiet and sharp. His red eyes pierced Emilia's is a way that sent chills down her spine. With a nod, he turned to go.

"That's it?" Emilia called after him. "You didn't solve our problem!"

"That's not my job," he spoke silkily but stopped nonetheless. "I have better things to worry about than an eleven-year-old wizard kid." he spat for emphasis. His back still faced them but his ears were perked up, listening to their every move.

"That 'kid' is my best friend!" Emilia growled.

"My apologies, she could have fooled me. She's the prisoner of a monster, Moonlet. You're endangering her just by talking to her. You're a wolf, not a witch!" he turned around sharply and glared at her. "Sod off before you do something you'll regret."

"I'm perfectly safe!" the girl's voice became an octave higher. "I take wolfbane!"

"You've forced them to keep you company on full moons. The time you're most dangerous! You let your wolf instincts take over while trying to find me tonight. You keep letting your instincts surface and someone will get hurt. Or get bitten!" he snarled. This was a totally different Convel than what she remembered. He had always been cold and snippy, but never this harsh!

"Any similarity between you and a human is purely coincidental." he muttered and turned around again.

"Emilia…" Hannah warned. But it was too late. Blind red rage enveloped the werewolf. No one could tell her that, especially not him!

"SHUT UP! You bloody feral WEREWOLF!" she ran towards him, wand out and pointed at his head. "Locomotor Mortis!" she yelled. But something else happened. A black figure whizzed past her and knocked her down, tossing her wand out of arm's reach. Emilia yelped at her shoulder connected with a rock.

"Emilia!" Ammon rushed over and kneeled down next to her. He reached into his pocket for his wand but felt nothing. After briefly patting himself down he gasped. "I forgot my wand on my bed!"

"I wouldn't do anything stupid girly." an old and hoarse voice called from behind the group. An old werewolf with dark graying brown matted hair and dull eyes. He had his arms crossed and a sneer plastered onto his hideously scarred face. His long and crooked nose stuck out like a sore thumb. Emilia recognized him as Adolphus, one of the wolves they saw in the forest the last time they saw Convel. If Adolphus was here, the teenage one- Bleddyn wasn't it?- would be here too.

"You really didn't' get the hint? He was trying to get you to leave, not lunge at him!" a feral laugh rang out from the shadows. "I can't wait to tell greyback about your- treason, Convel."

"Bleddyn you rat carcass! Treason is nowhere near what I have done!" Convel fumed. He glared daggers at Adolphus as the older wolf circled around Michael, Hannah, and Dominique. 

"Could have fooled me." the teen taunted. Convel growled fiercely and Bleddyn backed off.

"You have done your job well so far, Convel. If we complete this mission us three might be moved up in warrior ranks." Adolphus praised condescendingly.

Convel fumed with anger. " **I shall be moved up in rank as a warrior**! You two might get out of being scouts for a bit. If you have enough competence to do so."

Adolphus spun around abruptly, making Dominique jump. "Do what you must, Convel, Bleddyn." he nodded to the other two. The werewolves began advancing forward. Adolphus stood close to Emilia and Ammon, watching his fellow wolves.

Without warning, Michel and Dominique were grabbed by Convel and yanked to the other side of the clearing. Bleddyn advanced on Hannah swiftly. The girl straightened her posture and raised her wand. When Bleddyn showed no signs of backing down, the young girl lashed out. "DIFFINDO!" the severing charm was harsh and the blow causing a deep slash through **'** Bleddyn's already ripped t shirt. Deep red blood began to seep through.

Bleddyn's cry was a mix between a scream and howl. He clawed at his chest in anguish. Hannah smirked and raised her wand again. A dark figure emerged from behind Hannah.

Convel's form crept silently out of the shadows from behind Hannah. Emilia tried to warn Hannah but a sharp weight pressed against her injured shoulder. Adolphus was pushing his muddy foot onto Emilia's bleeding shoulder, causing the throbbing wound the erupt in screaming pain. A cry ripped from Emilia's throat.

Hannah was caught off guard by her friends scream. It gave Convel just enough time to grab her. Bleddyn swiped her wand and used a rough spell to try up Hannah and Michael to the trunk of a tree. Dominique seemed to have been knocked out and she lay unconscious on the ground.

Ammon cried out in anger. He jumped up and shoved Adolphus off of Emilia. The old werewolf was caught by surprise and was easily pushed to the ground. But when Ammon made to jump on him the older man kicked his feet out, sending Ammon flying through mid air. The boy landed on his back with the wind knocked out of him. The poor boy's gasping for air made him look like a fish out of water. While Ammon was incapacitated Bleddyn pinned him to the ground beside Adolphus.

Adolphus laughed evilly and kicked Ammon in the face. Emilia heard a sickening ' **crunch** ' and blood came gushing from Ammon's nose. It was very obviously broken and Ammon was holding on to his pride valiantly. He refused to give into the pain and cry.

"No… please stop! What do you want?" Emilia coughed hard at the end, shaking her throbbing shoulder and causing more pain.

"You're a clever little wolf, figure it out!" Adolphus condescending voice rang out merrily in the deafening silence of the forest. It made Emilia want to vomit. She settled for a scowl. "You've figured out a fair amount already!"

'Think Emilia think!' she racked her brain for every drop of information she knew about them. Adolphus was right, she has figured out a fair amount. "You want me. For some reason you want me. For Greyback. Why?"

"Our little pup is correct!" he smiled wickedly down at her with yellow rotting teeth. How Emilia wanted to kick him in the mouth, destroying his condescending smile! "Convel is a brave warrior and volunteered for the mission set by Greyback! He trotted over here to gain your trust! And obviously, he didn't do a very good job!" his sarcasm was thick enough to slice through with a knife. "I, being the head scout, was sent out to assist him with his mission. I brought along my apprentice, Bleddyn. Surprisingly he's proved himself as a well-trained cub!"

Bleddyn nodded happily in the rare praise.

"Convel and I have been watching you for a long time now. We saw you on your first broom flying lesson. Your first Quidditch game… your first transformation in the shrieking shack… we've been on the grounds for a long time. Waiting for your first year of school was annoying, but finally we're here!" he said in a slow sing song voice. The cracked voice sent tremors of anger coursing through Emilia. "We contemplated how to earn your complete trust for a long time. But when you came to us with your animagus problem we got a perfect idea! I'm so glad our make shift animagus spell worked on your lioness friend over there!"

"You made her half transform!" Emilia cried in outrage. Burning betrayal and fury coursed through her veins like fire. Lighting up raw anger inside of her and setting her mind aflame. She couldn't think straight. She couldn't hear anything he was saying anymore. The werewolf had the nerve to taunt her about it! About how Bleddyn got in and performed the spell! "You made her suffer like this!" she screamed. Her vision went red. She somehow sensed her hair going the same shade.

Emilia pushed herself up, the pain in her shoulder took a backseat. The girl lunged toward Adolphus, fists flying in fast fury. Energy she didn't even know she possessed kicked in. She began kicking and punching with all she had. For the first few blows, she connected- hard!

The older wolf quickly recovered. Convel rushed to his pack mates aide. Adolphus was able to grab Emilia around her torso, facing her toward Convel. The younger werewolf sighed and cracked his knuckles.

Emilia's rage and determination seemed to be the ones taking the backseat now. Her movements became frantic but futile. Adolphus held strong against the eleven-year-old girl.

A swift 'CRACK' rang out in the night air. Emilia's nose broke just like Ammon's had. Blood spurted out like a fountain. The thick red liquid dripping down her front. She cried out in anger. But as Convel kept going her cries of anger turned to shrieks of pain. A right hook to the jaw, two blows to the stomach, a painful punch to her injured shoulder, a black eye, a busted lip. The injuries became a throbbing blur. The coppery taste of blood seeped into her mouth. Her head went limp and rolled to the left. That was when Adolphus called the torture to a stop. Convel's knuckles looked bloody and bruised from hitting so hard, but he paid little attention to it. His eyes lingered on Emilia's limp form in Adolphus's arms. In his eyes was faint guilt.

"Listen, girlie. Everything you do from now on will affect your friends. And you'll just have to watch." Adolphus said happily. He was most definitely enjoying this. This was Christmas for him.

"Pompous Pig." Emilia croaked. The older man dropped her onto the muddy ground. She hadn't the strength to sit up.

Adolphus frowned. "Convel- hit the blonde." Convel did as he was told. Emilia tried to cry out, yell something, anything! But it was too late. If only she could take back her words. Ammon was about to get beaten up and it was her fault.

"Nooo.." Ammon moaned desperately. The blonde tried to squirm away but bleddyn's hold on him was tight. Bleddyn kept him pinned down to the ground but sat on the left side of him. Convel stood directly above him, no emotion in his eyes anymore. He seemed resigned.

"Nooo pleeease.." the futile moans of horror escaped Ammon's lips. Convel lifted his foot and brought it down, hard, and connected with his stomach. Again to his shoulder. And to his face, and again and again until Emilia had lost count.

The screams of agony rang out, begging for mercy. Emilia gave in. hot salty tears leaked out and more followed. She cried silently and began to beg for them to stop. Convel obliged to Emilia's request. He stopped.

Ammon was sobbing and coughing. He couldn't sit up so Bleddyn felt no need to hold him down. Instead, Bleddyn sat him upright so Ammon was leaning against his lap, facing Michael and Hannah.

"Is that-" ammon began hoarsely. His cough interrupted him every time he tried to speak. "Is the-that all you g-g-got?"

Adolphus smiled widely. "Of course not, young one! Especially not for that remark! We're finally at the main event!" the older werewolf nodded at Convel.

Convel, still looking resigned, traveled to the edge of the clearing, picking up a hefty stick and a rock. "Now, friends," Adolphus said evilly, "onto the main event."

To Emilia and Ammon's horror, Convel began walking towards the bound Figures of Hannah and Michael. Michael began writing under the rough ropes that bound him the tree. Hannah fidgeted a little but otherwise looked resigned and determined.

"No-" Ammon croaked and coughed. "Hit me i-instead! Save them. H-hit me!" he got no response.

Emilia began crying harder. That was when she realized something. She was alone on the ground, none of the adults were focused on her! Adolphus was focused with twisted excitement on her friends, Bleddyn was trapped under Ammon's limp form, and Convel was focused on his task. She needed to make her escape into the forest! She could figure out a plan and they wouldn't hurt her friends until she was back… right? Nevertheless, it was worth a shot.

The young girl turned onto her stomach and dug her hands into the muddy earth. She used all the strength she had left to pull herself toward the edge of the clearing. Right hand, left hand, right hand, over and over. Her breathing became labored and her chest burned. The sounds of Michael yelps and strangled cries added to her determination. Do this for Michael and his ongoing torture! Do this for Ammon and his bravery of asking to be beaten instead of his friends, do this for Dominique who suffered in her half lion state! Do this for Hannah who was waiting in agony for her fateful turn behind Convel's fists! For Moony! For Gryffindor! For Hogwarts! For maybe having the chance to go back home! The reasons to go on flooded into her mind, adding onto her building determination! She had to succeed.

And somehow she made it. The shadows enveloped her, hiding her from view of the demented werewolves. She crawled further into the bushes and shadows, thorns from bushes cut into her arms and face. She pushed forward. Branches scratched up her back, thorns cut into her arms, rocks dug into her legs and stomach. But she didn't care. This was life or death!

A large rock appeared in front of her. Using up the last of her strength, she pulled her mangled form onto the top of the boulder. Emilia collapsed on top the rock. She stared up at the tree tops and starry sky. Cool refreshing relief flooded through her. The cool air soothed her aching limbs, the determination she felt was becoming clearer and clearer, along with her thought process. 

"Oh poor dear, all alone on that rock in a forbidden forest." a gnarled whisper wafted through the air, high pitched and harsh. "How will she escape this one?"

"The poor wolf girl, oblivious of the torture her blonde friend goes through only a few meters away." a deeper and gruffer voice says quietly. The voices weren't coming from a specific direction, more floating through the air and spinning around Emilia.

"I can hear you!" Emilia called out quietly. Those voices she heard last time we're back. 'Great' she thought sarcastically. The voices quieted immediately.

"You remember us?"

Emilia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "How could I not? My hand still has two scars on the back of it. You cut me, remember?"

"You desire help. We are here." the high pitched voice spoke again. The tone was condescending and bothered the young girl.

"You need your wand." the deep voice spoke silkily now. "How will you get it?"

"Are you taunting me?" Emilia asked exasperatedly.

"No," the high pitched voice sighed. "We are helping you plan."

"Oh."

"Now how will you get your wand?" the high pitched voice spoke slowly as if talking to a toddler. Emilia pushed her frustrations to the side.

"It's by Adolphus. I'd need a distraction and then I could race over there and get it!"

"Good girl." the deep voice praised sarcastically. "What will the distraction be?"

Emilia sighed defeatedly. "I don't know."

"Hmmm- ah look at that, Zhou! The lioness wakes!" the high pitched voice said lightly. It sounded like it was taunting Emilia.

"She is pretending to sleep. An act that can only fool a wolf for so long." the deep voice, or 'Zhou' as the high voice called it, said wisely. "If you could get her attention, wolf girl, you might have a distraction."

Emilia smiled. "Perfect! I could get her to turn into a full lioness! Thank you!"

"Remember, Moon child, if anyone asks, we didn't help you." the deep voice spoke again. "Us Mogwai aren't known for helping. Our reputation leads people to believe us as demons."

The information went in one ear and out the other for Emilia. She got up abruptly, then cried out. Her sore body was protesting fiercely. Emilia winced and moved to lie back down when the Zhou stopped her. "We can use our limited magic to delay your pain if you trade something in return?"

Emilia frowned. "Delay my pain?" she thought hard for a moment, checking her pockets for anything of importance. Finally, she felt something in her jeans pocket. Two pieces of stale Christmas candy. "Wizarding candy?"

"What use would demons have with stale candy?" the deep voice said sarcastically. Emilia could almost hear him rolling his eyes.

"You could prank some other magical creature with it?" Emilia suggested.

The high pitched voice laughed a bit. "Deal." a golden glow suddenly appeared out of thin air and began enveloping Emilia. It was cold as ice and felt like tiny fingers tracing over her injuries. A golden chalk tasting dust flew into her nose and mouth. The powdery substance instantly soothed her jaw and broken nose. When the transformation was complete she looked herself over. Her injuries looked no different and still bleed freely, but there was absolutely no pain. And the golden spell had apparently taken the candy out of her hand.

"Thank you" she whispered, still shocked from the burst of magic. There was no reply. Emilia gathered up her courage and traveled back the way she came. She stopped walking as they reached the edge of the clearing. The sight before her was horrifying.

Michael was unconscious and may limp against the rope restraints. His head was bleeding profusely. His arms had deep cuts in them from Convels bloodied stick. A small trickle of blood leaked from his dry lips and recently blackened eye. His nose was bleeding but not broken. Nevertheless, he was beaten badly and Emilia nearly lost her resolve laying eyes on him and Ammon. Hannah was currently on the receiving end of Convel's bloodied rock. She gave small grunts of pain but otherwise endured without noise. The lack of noise seemed to anger Adolphus. Shouts of 'Harder!' and 'use the rock!' were shouted over the noise of rock hitting flesh.

A tear spilled from Emilia's red eyes. She crawled along the side of the clearing and to where Dominique was facing. The girl's eyes were cracked open slightly. She looked miserable! Emilia tried to discreetly grab Dominique's attention. It took several tries but eventually waving her hands paid off. Dominique looked like she was about to get up and run to her. Emilia motioned for her to stay. Emilia mouthed 'distraction' and then pointed to her wand. It took three tries before Dominique got it. The girl nodded and started turning fully into a lion.

Once the lioness got up she looked fixedly at Adolphus. Sparks of fury blazed in her eyes. Emilia slowly counted to three.

'1...2...3!' i lion's roar echoed throughout the forbidden forest, causing birds the squawk and fly away, small animals to quake in fear, and Convel to drop his rock onto his foot. The werewolf cursed as the heavy objects collided with his bare foot. The lioness charged at Adolphus. Without a weapon of any kind, the old werewolf was doomed. A fierce snarl and a lunge had Adolphus lying on his back, being torn at by Dominique's claws. Emilia cheered and ran at them. She stooped low to the ground and grabbed her wand without stopping. She spun around and pointed her wand at Bleddyn.

The young boy was struggling to get Ammon off of him, But Ammon was using this to his advantage. He leaned his full weight on Bleddyn so he couldn't easily get up. "Petrificus totalus!"

Bleddyn was stuck in a full body bind. Emilia ran at Convel, cutting him with three severing charms. The wolf howled in pain and staggered backward. He stumbled toward Adolphus and tried to pry the lion off.

"Dominique stop! We don't want to kill him!" with a snap of Emilia's fingers Dominique dragged Adolphus to his feet. The Werewolf was still screaming in pain as he stood. His shoulders shook with contained sobs and his eyes were screwed shut. "Now leave the Hogwarts grounds, and don't come back! EVER!" Emilia snarled. When Convel opened his mouth to speak she sent another severing charm his way. With a wail of pain, he dragged Bleddyn out of the clearing. Adolphus limped closely behind, shoulders still shaking.

Emilia ran to Ammon and knelt beside him, her knees digging into the soft grass. The moon shone on his handsome but broken features. She didn't know many healing charms but she could try!

A quick 'Episkey spell healed his broken nose and split lip. She healed several small cuts and bruises. The boy was weak but able to stand at least. Emilia sensed a broken rib or two on Ammon.

A few of the same charms healed Michael fairly well. She revived him and cut the ropes securing him and Hannah to the tree. Hannah got the healing treatment too, although she protested against it. She said she'd suffered worse injury before, making Emilia more determined to heal her. Finally, the five friends were still standing. Dominique hadn't changed out of her lioness form yet, but she could.

And that was when the pain caught up with Emilia. All the running and spell casting made the injuries much worse. The pain hit her suddenly, like a train, smashing into her body at full force. The girl dropped to her knees, doubled over in agony. The sudden torment was too much on her fragile body.

Everything went black.

 **Hello, dear readers! I really hated and loved writing this chapter at the same time. I like bringing my characters misfortune…  
**

 **So sorry for all the violence! I actually decided to change the rating for this chapter from k to k+. I don't know if that was necessary or not.  
**

 **As usual, thank you soooooo much for reading so far! All of your reviews and favorites mean so so much to me! So feel free to push that review button and share your feelings! Good or bad, all reviews are welcome.  
**


	29. Chapter 29: A Journey Well Ended

**Disclaimer: for the last time, (literally), I don't own any of Rowling's work! I only play with her characters.**

When Emilia Lupin opened her eyes she was in a different place. The smells were completely different: like potions and cleanliness. She was in a bed with simple white sheets and a metal frame. There was no doubt she was in the hospital wing.

The bright light from the windows blinded her. The girl slowly sat up in bed and looked around. Harry Potter lay in the bed next to her, asleep. There was a pile of candy and cards at the foot of her bed from various students. She didn't see any of her friends so she assumed they'd already been treated by Madame Pomfrey.

A low moan echoed through the hospital wing. A bed at the far side of the room was behind curtains and the noise definitely came from behind there. Emilia tried to smell the student that occupied the bed. Vanilla. Very strong vanilla and a hint of parchment…. Michael was there! Emilia jumped out of bed, her bare feet hitting the cold floor as she ran.

Then she stopped. In the very middle of the floor, in her hospital robe, frozen in fear as the realization hit her. Would Michael still want to be friends with her? She was the cause of his injuries. Emilia and Emilia alone. Convel was right, she was a danger for her friends to be around. If she could even call them that; would they even be her friends anymore? Michael was cooped up in the hospital wing because of Emilia. Her breath became shallow and fast. Her eyebrows knitted together in thought. Her smile dropped to a crushing frown. She looked like she lost her best friend- which was a very real possibility!

"Michael!" she whispered loudly. She tugged on the curtain and saw her genius friend reading a copy of the daily prophet. "Hey…" she said sheepishly.

Michael dropped the paper in shock and looked up at Emilia with a surprised expression. He looked at her blankly, not saying anything. Emilia's heart ached. Her palms became sweaty. She wished she could melt into the floor and cease existing, just so she didn't have to see her friends leave her.

Michael didn't say anything. He just looked at her with the same blank look. This was awful! This was completely her fault! Crushing guilt sat on top of her like an elephant on her shoulders. He had a hard time breathing suddenly. Waves of guilt and sadness overcame her and she broke.

"Michael I'm so sorry!" she clung to him in a bear hug, jumping onto his bed and laying her head on his shoulders. She couldn't let go, if she let go she could lose him for good. This was the last embrace she'd have with him! It was completely and utterly her fault. The guilt and the embrace caused tears to flow. Drip. drip. Drip. harder and faster until the girl was nearly sobbing. 'I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she repeated like a mantra, unable to stop and breathe.

And to her surprise, Michael hugged back. He hugged her fiercely and started rubbing her back in soothing circles. "Let it all out. It was a rough night, I know," he whispered in her ear. The young girl cried harder now, not for the loss of a friend but for Michael's compassion. While any normal kid would never speak to the werewolf girl again, Michael openly forgave her. He comforted her and she clung to him like a lifeline. She cried. She cried for his forgiveness, she cried for her other friends injuries, for injuries of her own, she cried for the life or death experience, she cried for her homesickness, she cried for her separation from Moony, for the death of her mother, for the end of the school year, for the tragedy of her werewolf life. She cried until there were no more tears to cry. And then she felt peace.

Eventually, she and Michael got out of each other's arms. They sat on his bed and talked over the night, and others injuries. He told her that none of the others blamed Emilia, but themselves. She was told that she had slept for two days and would probably spend the night. They talked for the rest of the evening and into the night. The connection she gained with Michael over those few hours was unbreakable. And even though the others weren't there, she felt as if her connection with them was unbreakable too.

Morning. Birds chirped outside, the noise of students in the halls, the bustling about of Madame Pomfrey, it was all so comforting to Emilia. She didn't want to leave Hogwarts anymore. For months she was excited to go home. It wasn't that she didn't like Hogwarts, it was actually quite the opposite! But she was homesick. She had never spent more than a week away from the moon. Let alone months! But now she never wanted to go home again! If only she could spend more time with her friends.

"Good Morning Miss Lupin. Glad to see you awake!" a merry old voice rang out. It wasn't like Adolphus's voice, this was more pleasant and warm. A voice that was sincerely happy to see her awake. She turned to see the person speaking. None other than Albus Dumbledore stood beside her bed. Emilia wasn't able to hold back her small gasp.

"P-professor!" she said, startled by his presence. Once she gained composure she spoke again, still rather awkwardly. "Good to see you too?"

Dumbledore laughed warmly. "You seem to have many admirers." he gestured to the boxes of candy and littering of cards.

"Yes…" Emilia shrugged. Dumbledore observed the cards with a fond smile.

"So.." Emilia folded her hands in her lap. "About two days ago…"

Dumbledore looked up at her with a kind smile. "I was told by Mrs. Morrison, Steere, and Mr. Christiansen that they couldn't tell me what happened. They said it was your secret to tell." the old wizard didn't look displeased at all, rather curious actually. "I was hoping I could get your version of the events?"

Emilia may be a Gryffindor, but she didn't have the bravery to say no to his polite request. With a sigh she started, "I guess it all started when us Marauders became Animagi." the young girl screwed her eyes shut and winced. she waited for the gasp or stern reprimand but none came. Instead, when she opened her eyes she was relieved to see Dumbledore's amused smile.

"I guessed as much," he said amusedly, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "I am surprised, however, at your choice of the group name."

"The Marauders?" Emilia asked confusedly. She didn't see anything weird with it…

"So the Marauders are animagi," he said with a chuckle.

"Yeah." Emilia shrugged again. "We'll I met this werewolf when I went out of the shack on a full moon… he seemed okay I guess? And we had this truce going. Well then Dominique and Ammon had trouble transforming and Hannah had trouble flying. Michael was surprisingly fine."

"Yes, Mr. Rawlings is an exceptional student." the wise old wizard commented. "One of our smartest first-year students. Right behind Mrs. Granger of course." his eyes sparkled as he spoke. "The magic required to become an animagus is very complex! I believe your friends are the youngest wizards to achieve such a feat!" he sounded impressed.

"Thank you?" the girl said awkwardly. "Convel was part of Greyback's pack. Convel, Adolphus, and Bleddyn were sent by Greyback to get me. I still don't exactly know why… they hurt all of us badly just to get to me." Emilia's face drooped with shame and guilt at the end. "It's my fault they're hurt."

"Has Remus ever told you why he was bitten?" Dumbledore asked suddenly.

The young girl was slightly caught off guard by the question. "Yeah- he was bitten because of something his father said about Greyback."

"Yes." the wizard commented. "When werewolves that are owned by a feral pack bites someone, they must invite the victim into their pack. The victim has the choice to join or not. But when an Alfa bites someone he does it to specifically claim someone. Whether your father liked it or not, he was part of the pack no matter what he says. You, being his daughter, are thought of by Fenrir's pack as a cub. One of the children of the pack."

"They couldn't get to your father easily. So they took what was most important to him as bait."

"Me…" Emilia mumbled. To say she was surprised would be an understatement! She had known some of this stuff, but never put it together! "So in an attempt to get Moony, they tried to get me. Because I'm still part of the pack they wanted to get me away."

"That is correct, miss Lupin." Dumbledore's voice was more solemn now. "Greyback's pack is no longer giving their victim's choice whether to belong to their pack. It is a recent development."

"Why?"

"I have suspicions," Dumbledore said. Emilia could tell he wasn't going to give any more information.

Emilia was silent for a bit, mulling over the information. She'd have told the other marauders… but what about the golden trio? "Professor? Should I tell Harry? About my- furry problem?"

Dumbledore smiled. "I believe that decision is up to you, Emilia."

Emilia smiled faintly. "I don't think I will. Nothing against Harry… I'd rather have as few as possible knowing my secret." the young girl shifted uncomfortably suddenly. An absolutely dreadful thought occurred to her. Albus Dumbledore knew they were illegal animagi! That was a bit obvious, he said it himself after all… but does that mean they'd be expelled? She couldn't ask that to him however, it could give him ideas! Emilia swallowed hard. 'She deserved to be kicked out of Hogwarts' something in her mind whispered. And she nearly believed it! But after yesterday's conversation with Michael Emilia was still feeling rather confident.

With a few calming breaths the young girl gathered up all her Gryffindor courage. "Professor? Are we going to be expelled?" the timid voice of the young werewolf was soft in the large hospital wing.

The professor answered quickly. "Whatever for, miss Lupin?"

Emilia opened her mouth to speak then closed it. Didn't he remember? "Being animagi?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you are talking about."

Emilia quirked an eyebrow and stared up at him intently. The twinkle in his eye was brighter than ever.

The young girl almost laughed out loud. She wouldn't be expelled! "Thank you, sir!"

Dumbledore smiled kindly, the twinkle still ever apparent. And that was that moment Harry chose to wake up. The raven haired boy blinked a few times and looked up at Dumbledore.

Before he could say anything Emilia spoke up. "Harry! It's great to see you! I'll leave you two to talk…" she smiled widely and jumped off her bed. Deciding she should go to Michael's bed and leave Dumbledore and Harry to talk, she set off her Michael.

-timelapse-

The great hall was bustling with energy and life. The hum of student chats sounded like a hive of angry wasps. Students filled up the house tables to the brim and the professors sat at the front of the hall. Professor Dumbledore, a man Emilia highly respected now, sat on an impressive chair, overlooking the entire great hall. The smile on his face matched many of the students and shone with warmth. The Marauders sat next to the golden trio (complete with a recently released Harry!) and the group laughed merrily. For tomorrow they would leave, so they enjoyed their last feast together.

The whole hall was decorated with Slytherin colors, green and silver. Large banners bearing the Slytherin crest hung from the ceiling. The decorations made Emilia want to gag. To Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff dismay, Slytherin had won the house cup. It honestly wasn't surprising. Harry and Hermione's dragon excursion had lost Gryffindor 150 points. After that episode, The only ones to talk to the golden trio were the Marauders and Neville.

Dumbledore stood up to give his speech. Immediately all noise died down to whispers. The headmaster cleared his throat and began.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully, you heads are all a little fuller than they were...you have the whole summer ahead of get them nice and empty before next year starts...

"Now, as I understand it, the House Cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two."

The Slytherin table erupted in applause while the other houses clapped politely.

"Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account."

The hall broke out in whispers, like little hissing wildfires. Emilia couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow. Has this ever happened before?

"Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes...

"First - to Mr. Ronald Weasley..."

The students were on the edge of their seats in anticipation. From the looks of the older Gryffindors, Emilia guessed this wasn't a common occurrence. Various confused glances at Ronald Weasley later, Dumbledore began:

"...for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years. I award Gryffindor House forty points."

Emilia's gaze immediately shot to Ron. he was smiling widely while various Gryffindors clapped him on the back. Emilia gave his shoulder a playful punch.

"Second - to Miss Hermione Granger...for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor House fifty points." Gryffindor house started cheering. Students who were able to keep up with the math kept shouting out the numbers. Emilia's heart was racing. She was smiling widely, thinking, 'maybe we _do_ have a shot at winning the house cup!'

"Third - to Mr. Harry Potter..." said Dumbledore. The room went deathly quiet. "...for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor House sixty points."

Not just Gryffindor was cheering now, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw joined in with the celebration! Cheers and whistles echoed through the auditorium. Emilia was clapping like her life depended on it. The biggest smile plastered onto her face.

"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I, therefore, award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

"Which means,"..." we need a little change of decoration." the Slytherin Decor was replaced by red and gold Gryffindor colors. The students of Hogwarts were ecstatic! Well- except for Slytherin. The cheers and clapping rang loudly in Emilia's head. All the noise was giving her a headache. Gryffindors were chanting 'we won!' and clapping Harry and Neville on the back. The Marauders each high fived each other. The five friends put their hands together in the center of the table and at the count of three, cheered "Go Go Gryffindor!"

It was cheesy. Emilia could admit that. But no one cared. And the rest of the night was filled with celebrating and laughing…

-time lapse-

"Alright, Marauders!" Emilia's excited shout quieted down the other four. They were gathered in the Marauders quarters for the last time this year. Hannah had put up silencing wards around the den so that passers by couldn't hear them. Basically, Emilia could shout and laugh as loud as she wanted and not even evil Mrs. Norris could hear her.

"Listen up! This is our last Marauder's meeting of our first year! So congratulations!"

The four friends clapped and Ammon whistled loudly. Emilia giggled.

"This year has been amazing so far! All of us have grown so close together I feel like I've known you for years. So for all our years at Hogwarts, we shall stick together. Because no matter what happens next year, or the year after that, no matter what life throws our way, we are Family. Got that?" she paused to smile and catch her breath. "So, as it is the last time at the Marauders quarters for this year, I propose a game of exploding snap!"

Ammon and Hannah agreed wholeheartedly. Dominique joined a bit nervously but excited nonetheless. And Emilia had to drag Michael out of his book and onto the floor. The Marauders played for a total of three hours. Each of them enjoying themselves whole heartedly and having one of the best nights of their lives. The world seemed to completely melt away, like nothing else mattered but each other, right here right now. And at that night their bond grew stronger than ever before. The Marauders were family now.

-Time Lapse-

The noises of the ongoing Hogwarts express were sad. The noises themselves weren't sad, but the meaning behind them. Emilia was going home. But while she was excited to be going home to see Moony, she felt like she was leaving home at the same time. Hogwarts is her home!

Thinking over the past school year made the young girl feel nostalgic. Hiding her secret, first transformation in the Shrieking Shack, becoming the Marauders, fighting the troll, befriending the golden trio, making the Quidditch team, becoming animagi (technically that wasn't her) practicing transformations with Convel, delivering a dragon, fighting two fully grown werewolves and an older cub, end of the year feast! Never in her wildest dreams would she have guessed any of this happening in her first year! And Moony most definitely thought none of this would happen.

Moony wouldn't be happy about any of this! He still thought she had a perfectly normal year! Should she tell him?

Well, of course, she'd tell him about Quidditch. And about the werewolves at the end of the year. Best not tell him about the troll… or the dragon. And DEFINITELY not about the animagus thing. That was a conversation for MUCH later in life. Later, like once she was moved out and he couldn't ground her anymore.

"This is it," Ammon said. He leaned against Emilia haughtily. Emilia shook him off.

"Once we get off this train it's final!"

Michael rolled his eyes.

"Goodbye, Marauders," Emilia said sadly as the train entered the station. Crowds of parents and older siblings were on the platform 9 ¾. The young werewolf sniffed sadly.

"Things will never be the same after this," Emilia said softly.

Hannah looked over at her. "How do you know?"

Emilia shrugged. "Funny feeling."

Students spilled out of the train haphazardly. Trying to grab her trunk and stick with her friends was much more challenging than she had originally thought. But as the time came, the marauders gathered into a tight circle and said their goodbyes. Several hugs and sniffles later, Michael was dragged away by his older sister, Marcella. Dominique found her parents and ran to them, jumping onto them and enveloping them in a giant bear hug. Hannah smiled longingly. Ammon waved goodbye and pulled his trunk over to his waiting father. A few hugs and high fives later, he disappeared through the barrier. Hannah smiled at Emilia and said her goodbyes. The friends left one by one until it was only Emilia left.

The young werewolf caught a whiff of a familiar scent. Chocolate and Parchment, mixed with musk and werewolf. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers and she spun around excitedly. Standing at the edge of the crowd was Moony, his old and ragged clothes made him stand out from the crowd, yet none other of the wizards seemed to notice. "Moony.." Emilia whispered. She ran over to him, pulling her trunk along behind her.

'Yes,' she thought, 'things will never be the same again.'

And with a loving hug to her father another thought came to her mind. 'I'm home.'

 **Hello, dear readers! This is it, Chapter 29. This chapter marks the end of Emilia Lupin first year! Congratulations for getting through it.  
**

 **I WILL HAVE THE SEQUEL OUT SHORTLY SO PLEASE DON'T GO! 'Emilia Lupin: Year of the Werewolf' will be out soon so look forward to it!**

 **In case you can't wait that long, I have another fanfiction out right now in the Avengers universe. Beware it has a slow and cringe start but it's getting there.  
**

 **SEE YOU NEXT STORY!**


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